Compete Against The Stars
by drivingincircles
Summary: It's been three months since the Infection broke out. Running out of food, Emily is forced to leave the safety of her home to travel to the military base in Texas where her dad is stationed. Just as she begins to think the journey is impossible, she meets Paige.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Okay, here we go again...

Chapter One

**_Emily_**

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself as she pulled the curtain back a sliver. She hated looking out of the window. These days, she was never quite sure what sight might greet her.

Her eyes hesitantly roamed up and down the street, Emily breathing a quiet sigh of relief at the (apparently) empty neighbourhood. She knew that that was most likely not the case, but she appreciated the false sense of security all the same.

She let the curtain fall back into place, shrouding the room in a dim light. She looked down at the note in her hands, reading it over for the hundredth time.

_Dad, it's been three months since I heard from you. I'm running out of food, I have to leave. I'm going to try and make my way to you instead. I pray that you and Mom are okay. I love you – Emily_

She felt tears pricking her eyes as her mind flashed to the possibilities as to what could have happened to him as he made his way back to her, why it had been _three months_ and there was still no sign of her dad.

She shook her head. It wouldn't do her any good to dwell on it. She had to focus. She turned on her heels, viewing the living room, once well taken care of but now covered in dust and cobwebs. Emily felt an incredible sadness take over her as she soaked it in. This could likely be the last memory she'd have of the place she grew up in.

She sighed heavily, debating where to leave the note. It had to be somewhere she could be sure her dad would see it. She thought about the fridge, but then figured the closer to the front door, the better. Her gaze focussed in on the TV. She allowed herself an ironic smile before walking over to it, propping the note up against the screen. Although it had stopped working three days after the whole disease thing started, she was sure that her dad wouldn't miss it.

She gave the piece of paper one last look before turning to lift her old camping rucksack up off of the sofa. She stumbled sideways slightly as she adjusted to the weight of it, clipping the padded hip belt into place for additional support. It contained everything she could think of that she might need to get to Texas. Well, everything in the house, that is. There were still other things that she needed.

Like a car, for instance. Her own had been stolen a few weeks ago, much to her despair. Hopefully her friends would still have one. Then they could even all travel to Texas together. They could all stay at the military base until it was safe again.

Steeling herself, she had one final peek out of the window to make sure the coast was clear before picking up her father's handgun she'd taken from his dresser and making her way to the front door. Swallowing, she unlocked the three locks, turning the door knob slowly, cautiously pulling it open.

She didn't know what she'd been expecting, but as she stepped out onto her porch, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting. It seemed like a perfect summer's day.

Well, apart from the overgrown lawns and the odd smashed in window or car.

She breathed in the fresh air for the first time in months, nerves building inside of her. Before she could retreat back into the safety of her house, she pulled the door shut. She felt silly, but she locked the house back up, though she knew that it would most likely be broken into without anyone to defend it. The thought made her angry, but she pushed it down.

_Right. Let's do this._

She began to walk, feeling more on edge than she'd ever felt in her life, her heartbeat quickening with every step. Her eyes constantly scanned around her for any sign of movement. She knew they were about. She'd seen enough of them roaming past her window to know that she definitely wasn't alone out here.

Looking left then right, she decided to head in the direction of Aria and Hanna's houses. Her fingers twitched against the cold metal of the gun in her hand; the thought of having to pull the trigger made her nauseous. She hoped that she wouldn't have to, not to mention that she wasn't even sure if she'd loaded it correctly. She remembered her dad showing her how to do it a few years ago, but honestly, she hadn't paid much attention at the time. She'd never truly believed she would ever have reason to know how to load a gun.

There was no way she could have anticipated this though. Hell, she wasn't even sure what _this_ was.

As she walked, she was alarmed to see all the stores in Rosewood's main street boarded up; all the places she'd known since she was a kid, the coffee shop that she used to work at. Having been trapped to the confines of her house, she hadn't been sure what had happened to the town. Now it was clear; it had been abandoned. She tried to keep the panic inside her from swelling at the prospect that she could be the only one who had stayed. She couldn't allow herself to think about it.

She rounded a corner, Aria's house coming into view. She could feel sweat starting to form on her brow, her heart feeling like it was going to beat right out of her chest. As she got closer, she could just make out the jagged edges of the broken window in the front room. She gulped.

She slowly walked up the empty driveway, standing motionless at the bottom of the porch steps leading up to the front door. "Hello?" she called out, her voice sounding strange to her own ears. She had hardly spoken in weeks; she hadn't had reason to. She remained frozen in place, not even daring to breathe as she listened intently for a response.

After thirty seconds of silence, she proceeded up the stairs, tentatively making her way towards the window. Bracing herself, she looked into Aria's living room.

At least, what used to be Aria's living room.

The place looked like it had been ransacked. There was broken glass everywhere; stuffing spilling from the sofa; drawers lying on the floor that had been pulled from cabinets. Emily's stomach sank, numbness spreading inside her. Aria obviously wasn't here.

People were animals. How could they just go around raiding people's homes like this? She remembered how scared she had been when she'd seen a group of people, _normal_ people, breaking into her neighbour's house across the street, praying that they didn't come her way next; as if it wasn't bad enough having to worry about people who had the virus, she had to worry about looters too.

Sighing, she turned around and looked across the street at Hanna's house. It looked exactly how she remembered it. Maybe Aria and her family were staying there? Maybe they were all safe. Maybe she wouldn't have to be alone.

She made her way over to the house, consciously looking up and down the street as she walked. She opened the gate to Hanna's, moving up the path, her eyes inspecting the house for any sign of a break-in. She allowed herself a small smile when she saw the house was in perfect condition, convinced that she was right. Everyone must be holed up here.

She hurried to the door, knocking it quickly. When there was no answer, she realised her mistake. "It's Emily," she said loudly, figuring that they wouldn't answer the door unless they knew who it was. She pressed her ear against the wood when there was still no answer, frowning slightly. Why weren't they letting her in?

She looked into the street, seeing Ashley Marin's car. Chewing on her lip, she walked along to peer in a window, having to wipe away the dirt and grime gathered there with the sleeve of her sweater. She cupped both hands against the glass to block out the light as she pressed her face close to the window.

From her position, she could see up to the top of the staircase and part of the hallway. She felt slightly relieved that everything appeared to be in its rightful place, but she didn't understand why no one was there to let her in.

"Hanna!" She shouted, tapping the glass anxiously. "It's Emily! Are you there?"

She kicked the side of the house in frustration after another minute of nothingness, walking back to the door to check if it was locked. It was. They must have left.

But then, why was the car still there?

She ambled back to the gate, shifting her rucksack, the weight of it already starting to hurt her shoulders. She moved to scrutinise the car, not knowing how to feel when she saw that it was in good condition. If it was still in one piece, then there was no reason why Hanna and her mom couldn't have taken it with them wherever they went.

She tried the door, her annoyance building when it wouldn't open. Although, she realised that she had no idea how to hotwire it, and therefore would be useless to her without the keys.

She had no hope in hell of getting to Texas without a car.

Just as she was about to turn to head to Spencer's, she heard a noise that made her blood run cold. It sounded like a combination between a gurgle and a growl, followed by the faint shuffling of feet. She slowly turned to look over her shoulder, gasping in horror at what she saw.

It was one of them.

It was about twenty feet away from her, ragged clothes hanging from its body, pale rotten flesh visible underneath. She opened her mouth in a silent scream when she looked at its face.

It was Mike. It was Aria's brother, Mike Montgomery. His eyes were white and diseased looking, one of his cheekbones protruding from his skin, his mouth snarling and bloody as he stumbled towards her.

It was the closest she'd ever seen one of them. She couldn't believe how hideous he looked. It was almost as if… no, that was impossible. "Mike?" Her throat was so incredibly dry; she needed water. "Mike?" she repeated when he gave no response and just continued to move towards her. In the brief phone call she had shared with her dad, he had warned her that the infected people were dangerous and violent, stressing that she had to stay away from them and stay inside.

"Mike, it's Emily," she said desperately, hoping that he could be rationalised with somehow. She jumped when he made a noise that sounded like he was hacking up something from the back of his throat.

This wasn't working.

She knew she should move, knew she should raise her gun in warning, but she couldn't. Her whole body had frozen with fear, her feet feeling cemented to the surface of the road. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Mike's face. This wasn't real. This _couldn't_ be real.

Suddenly, his hand was clamping tightly around her arm making her drop the gun to the ground. Shock ran through her body at its coldness; she could feel it through her sweater. The smell of decay and _death_ invaded her senses. Mike's head was leaning towards her, his jaws snapping the air. _No. NO._

Emily could finally move again, bringing up her free hand to try and push Mike away, her fingers sinking into the rotten skin of his shoulder all the way to the bone, but it was as if he didn't even feel it. Her jaw opened in horror. She staggered backwards, the heavy rucksack not helping matters. Her balance gave way, falling onto her back beside the car, Mike landing on top of her.

She felt stinking breath against her face, his teeth grazing her cheek. "No!" she screamed. She was about to die. She was sure of it.

But then there was a loud bang; Mike was thrown off of her sideways. She could still hear him gurgling, looking towards him and seeing him still reaching out blindly towards her. She was still watching him as his head exploded right before her very eyes, his body going limp, bits of flesh landing on her face.

She could only lie there in complete stillness, unable to comprehend what she had just witnessed. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Mike's dead body.

"You okay?"

It took her a second to register that someone had spoken. She turned her head, seeing a silhouette standing above her, the sun shining high above their head. The person leaned down closer to her, their face coming into view. It was a girl who couldn't have been much older than Emily, her wide brown eyes looking directly into hers. "Are you okay?"

Emily was still in shock, unable to form words. Then she felt the bile rising, struggling to turn onto her side with the rucksack still strapped to her back, clutching at the road as her stomach lurched.

Once the entire contents of her stomach was lying in front of her, eyes burning, she lifted her head and immediately saw Mike's headless body again, her gut cramping once more but there was nothing left to come up. That was an image that would be with her forever.

"Those gunshots will attract more of them; I would move if I were you."

Panic arose within Emily. She wrestled against the rucksack trying to get up, eventually having to take it off, trembling hands unclipping the belt around her waist. Finally getting to her feet, she looked up to see the girl's retreating form. She had a backpack slung over one arm, carrying a shotgun in the other. "Jack! Come on!"

Emily's brow creased, momentarily confused. It was only then she noticed the German Shepherd that was sitting by her feet. His tongue was lolling out of his mouth, his head tilted to the side as he stared up at her curiously. Emily automatically reached a hand out towards him as she shouted, "Hey! Wait!"

The girl turned as the dog- Jack- leaned his head into Emily's open palm, allowing her to pet him. She relished his warmth; it helped bring her back to reality. Her fingers distractedly scratched him behind the ears as her eyes moved to fix on the person in front of her. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I told you, I'm getting out of here. Jack!" she called again, ready to move away once more. Jack licked Emily's hand playfully before bounding back to his owner.

"You just killed my friend's brother!"

This made the girl freeze. She turned to look back at Emily, her eyebrows knitting together. "Uh, you're welcome."

"I didn't ask you to do that. There could have been another way." Emily could feel tears pooling in her eyes as it began to sink in what had happened.

Mike was dead.

The girl sighed. "You can't be serious. The only other way that situation could have played out is you getting eaten alive. I saved your ass. No need to thank me. Oh, and you might want to keep your voice down. I could hear you yelling and beating on that door from halfway down the street." She flicked her eyes towards Hanna's house in exasperation. "What were you thinking? Do you have some sort of death wish? And did I see you actually trying to talk to that thing?"

Emily just stared at her for a moment with widened eyes, before gasping, slumping back against the car as she broke down. She couldn't do this. She couldn't make it to Texas. She didn't have a clue what she was doing. She had only been out of the house for about half an hour and had almost been killed.

Jack was by her side again, releasing a small whimper as his wet nose brushed her hand. She heard a huff as the girl came to stand in front of her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Hey, look at me." Emily sniffed, her gaze still on Jack. "Look at me." Emily lifted her eyes at the slight shake on her shoulders, meeting the girl's intense stare. "You need to get out of here, okay? I don't care where; just move. Please. Otherwise those two shells will have been wasted." She gave a slight smile, releasing Emily from her grasp and bending down to pick up her rucksack. "Jeez, what have you got in here?"

"Stuff," Emily murmured, turning so that the girl could help her strap it back on again. She groaned slightly under the weight.

"Well, I would advise you to travel lighter. And it might be a good idea to use this next time." She took Emily's hand, placing the handgun she'd dropped earlier into it. "Remember, aim for the head."

_Aim for the head?_ Emily was unnerved by how casual this girl was being about having just _killed_ someone. She didn't seem remotely affected by the incident.

Before Emily could open her mouth again, the girl and Jack were moving down the street away from her. She watched them, running a hand over her cheeks to wipe away the tears, wanting to throw up again when she felt the pieces of Mike that had landed there. She quickly ran the sleeve of her sweater across her face, dry heaving when she saw smears of thick, brownish-red goo staining the material. She wanted to rip the sweater off immediately, but the girl's warning was in her mind. She had to get out of here.

Not knowing where to go, she automatically set off after them, looking left and right every few seconds; no way would she forget her surroundings again. Every time she glanced ahead, she took in another detail of the girl in front of her, starting with the ponytail swinging at the back of her head, down to her dirt-smeared white tank top, down to her khaki coloured cargo pants and black boots.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The girl had stopped and turned to face her, throwing a hand out into the air, an irritated expression on her face.

"What you mean?" Emily jumped, having not expected her to stop walking. "I'm getting out of here, just like you said." She shrugged.

"No, you're following me."

"I'm not," Emily stated firmly, but realising that was a lie. "I'm going to my friend's house." She really did need to go to Spencer's; she was her last hope. But she had to admit that there was a part of her that was curious as to where the girl was going.

"Oh really? Where's that?" Emily could tell by her tone that she didn't believe her.

"Bridgewater Terrace? It's a few streets over."

The girl nodded. "Yeah, I know it."

"The one with the barn?" Emily added inquisitively. "Are you from around here?" Emily certainly hadn't seen her before, which made her think the answer was no since Rosewood wasn't exactly a big town.

The girl shifted on her feet, looking away from her momentarily. "Sorry to tell you, but your friend's not there." She ignored the latter question.

Emily frowned. "How do you know?"

"'Cause I was there a few hours ago looking for supplies," she explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The whole place has been cleared out. In fact, it seems like that whole street has been cleared out. I couldn't find a single can of food."

It took Emily a moment to realise what she was saying. "You broke into my friend's house?" The girl only shrugged, like it was no big deal. "You… _scavenged_ my friend's house?" Emily was almost disappointed that the girl was one of _those_ people.

The girl held up a hand. "No, I _tried_ to 'scavenge' it, but like I said, someone got there first." Emily's jaw dropped in disbelief. How could she be so flippant about stealing from someone? She was about to express her disgust but was interrupted. "Enough with the judging," the girl snapped, her demeanour changing. She was angry now. "You've obviously had the luxury of not having to live out here, but for some of us, we do what we have to. Do you think I like rummaging through people's houses? 'Cause I don't."

Emily bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her own annoyance flare. "Luxury? I would hardly call being trapped in a house all by myself for three months a 'luxury'. Too scared to properly fall asleep not only because of people with the virus, but because of people like you, not hesitating to smash windows and rob people to get what you want." The girl scowled at her, Emily refusing to look away. "Not to mention you just killed someone without thinking twice!"

She could see the girl's jaw twitching with rage. She knew that she was probably being a bit harsh, considering that she would probably be dead by now if it weren't for her, but the fear and adrenaline were winning out over logic.

There was a loud bark, breaking the tension between the two of them.

The girl's frown faded, looking past Emily's shoulder. Emily had a feeling that she didn't want to know what was going on behind her, going by the way she saw the girl's throat working as she started to step back. She met Emily's eyes again, the fight and fire gone, the anger replaced with… Emily didn't know. She couldn't read the expression.

"Look, I don't care what you think of me. I'm done having this conversation. I just hope you don't hurt yourself too badly when you fall from that pedestal you're on." And with that, she turned, jogging down the street, Jack at her side.

Emily didn't have much time to dwell on what she'd said, however; she looked behind her, seeing five or six figures staggering her way. She felt that paralysing fear seizing her again, but this time she managed to fight through it, willing herself to move.

She started heading forward, seeing Jack's tail disappearing around a corner about a hundred feet ahead. She didn't want to keep going in the same direction as the girl, but she didn't have a choice. She could see that there were more infected people headed her way from further up the street.

She reached the corner, rounding it and seeing the path ahead of her completely clear, Jack and the girl nowhere to be seen. Emily felt her terror mounting. She was alone once more. There wouldn't be anyone to save her if she got attacked again.

Starting to pick up her pace, she ran down the small street between two houses, trying to ignore how the heavy rucksack was bouncing uncomfortably against her, threatening to throw her off course. She could hear her breath coming sharp and heavy as she moved, her throat aching for water. No one would have guessed that she was once an athlete.

The street opened up again, Emily stopping abruptly in her tracks as her head frantically turned every which way, gasping when she saw people covered in diseased flesh coming in every direction, including the street she had just come down was which was now occupied with two of them. They were moving relatively slowly, but with a sinking feeling of dread, Emily realised that it didn't matter how fast they were approaching. The reality was that they would reach her eventually, and she had nowhere to go.

Her eyes roamed the surrounding area rapidly one last time for any possible escape. There seemed to be more and more of them with every passing second. She was going be killed.

Flashes of the people she loved entered her mind; her mom, her dad, her friends. She would never see them again, not even for one last time. She would never know what became of them, and they would never know what became of her. It was a cold hard truth that was difficult to accept in her final moments. A sob bubbled out of her, a shaking hand covering her mouth.

She suddenly remembered the gun in her hand, but it was too late. There were too many of them. They were close; Emily could now hear their rasping groans as the approached. They were closing in. She turned in a circle hopelessly.

She took in a deep breath, trying to pull herself together, her survival instinct finally kicking in. She couldn't go, not like this. Her dad had always taught her to fight for what she wanted, and right now, she wanted to live.

* * *

**_Paige_**

She'd only stopped in this town because she was in desperate need of batteries. Her flashlight had died last night, and although she didn't even really use it that much, she liked the option of having it there.

She certainly hadn't expected that stopping here would be as eventful as this.

She was currently watching the girl intently, who once again had found herself in danger. Paige shook her head. Why was she just standing there? Why was she letting Infected close in on her?

_Come on, do something…_

The girl stepped forwards, but then jumped back hastily as one of the corpses stumbled and fell, not wasting any time in crawling towards her from its new position.

"Why aren't you using your gun?" Paige muttered under her breath, shaking her head again as she reached for key in the ignition of the old wood-panelled station wagon she was sitting in. The girl was going to get swamped if she didn't intervene.

_So much for not getting involved…_

She gave a heavy sigh, the engine roaring to life as she turned the key, Jack looking out of the front window, yelping excitedly as she threw the car into gear. She stepped on the gas, the car lurching forward. Paige gripped the steering wheel tightly as she barrelled down the street to the girl's aid, gritting her teeth as she hit a few Infected on the way.

She quickly reached across to grab Jack's collar, tugging him in the direction of the back seat. He got the message, jumping into the back of the car. Paige blared the horn, trying to distract the Infected from the girl. However, only a few of them turned her way.

Finally reaching her destination, she braked hard, the car screeching under the strain. Paige caught the girl's gaze through the window. She looked stunned to see her, but Paige could see hope flooding back into her eyes. She started for the car, but that was when one of them finally got hold of her.

Adrenaline pumping, heart racing, Paige grabbed the shotgun beside her, hastily exiting the car, slamming the door shut behind her so Jack wouldn't come after her. She ran around to the hood, now standing on the outside of a forming circle of Infected. Resting the end of the gun against her shoulder, she lifted it up to eye level, focussing on her target. She hesitated, worried that she was going to end up accidentally shooting the girl who was now wrestling with an Infected.

"Move it sideways!" she yelled out. "I can't get a clear shot!" Paige wasn't sure if the girl had heard her, but then she rotated it around, attempting to push it away from her body. Paige heard a gunshot that she never fired, seeing the girl's eyes widen. The shot to the gut had no effect on the snarling creature. Paige didn't waste another second; she fired directly at its head, grunting slightly at the recoil of the gun. She still hadn't gotten used to that part.

Now free, the girl dodged out of grasp of more decaying hands, managing to break free of the circle, heading towards the station wagon. Paige turned quickly to run back to the driver's seat, only to come face to face with another one of them, it's bottom jaw hanging by a thread from under its chewed-looking ear. She gasped in surprise, automatically ramming the end of the gun into its skull. She felt the bone give way, gagging slightly. She much preferred to use a gun from a distance; way less gross.

She flung herself into the car, Jack's barks loud in her ear. She yanked the door shut just before another Infected got too close to her.

"Go, go, go!" the girl yelled, now seated beside her, her bag sitting between her and the door as if that would stop Infected getting into the car if the door opened. Paige was alarmed to see the amount of them now surrounding the vehicle, could _feel_ them clawing at the metal. She felt a sense of claustrophobia come over her.

Struggling to control her breathing, she drove forward, trying not to think about the mess she was leaving behind as the car bumped over bodies, trying not to throw up at the popping sensation she could feel under the tyres. Finally the road in front of them cleared; Paige floored it, whizzing away from the mass that had gathered behind them, not daring to look in the rear view mirror.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the girl looking behind them, her mouth hanging open as she took in ragged breaths. Paige drove around the corner, taking them onto a vacant street. All the Infected must have followed the commotion. She didn't stop, however; she didn't feel safe in this town. She made the decision to head for the highway. It was much more open and spacious; she needed that right now.

She threw a quick glance over her shoulder to check that Jack was okay; he appeared fine, calm even, which was surprising after what had just happened. Paige wished she felt the same, hoping that her shaking hands weren't too obvious. Jack leaned forward slightly to smell the girl's hair, causing Paige's gaze to move onto her. Paige studied her briefly; her eyes were staring aimlessly ahead, silent tears pouring down her cheeks.

Paige cleared her throat. "So, what _was_ that back there?"

"Huh?" the girl asked, looking completely out of it. Even though she didn't want to, Paige couldn't help feeling bad for her.

"You let yourself get swarmed; why?" Infected moved pretty slowly. The worst thing you could do was just _stand_ there and let them surround you.

The girl didn't respond for a moment, Paige waiting patiently for an answer. Finally, she shrugged. "You said it yourself; I haven't been living out here. I didn't expect- I didn't-" She took in a shaky breath, obviously trying to stop herself from breaking down. "I had no idea it would be like this out here."

Paige nodded in understanding, remembering her own first few days out here. It felt like a lifetime ago now. "I shot someone," the girl said numbly.

Paige glanced at her, her heart jumping into her throat, but then she realised she was referring to the shot she had fired five minutes ago. "Yeah, in the stomach. That's no use; I told you to aim for the head."

The girl turned in the seat to face her, her whole face scrunching up with confusion. "How can you speak like that?"

"Like what?" Paige asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"Like you don't even care; like shooting people is something that's a normal, everyday thing?" Her voice cracked.

Paige could see she looked genuinely distressed. Maybe she didn't know. Unlikely, but possible. "Because it _is_ a normal, everyday thing, these days. You do know Infected are already dead, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" She angrily swatted at her tears, Paige thinking her frown lines couldn't get any deeper. This girl was completely clueless. She really had been living the sheltered life.

Paige shook her head slowly. "How can you not know this?"

She gave a frustrated sigh. "All my dad told me was that there was a virus spreading that makes people violent and unpredictable; he said I couldn't leave the house. That's literally it; that's all I know. What do _you_ know?"

Paige took in a breath. "Wow, okay." _This is going to be a shock._ "A virus broke out; it's fatal if you catch it. You die, but come back as one of those things." Paige glimpsed at her, not surprised at her expression of disbelief. "I know it's crazy, but it's true." The girl opened her mouth to speak, but Paige cut her off. "That's really all there is to it. As far as I'm aware, they don't know what caused it or how to cure it. If you get bitten, the infection gets into your bloodstream; you'll be dead within five to six hours. That's how it spreads."

The girl raised her eyebrows dubiously. "So, what you're saying is that zombies exist now?"

"No," Paige snapped, looking at her hard. "Don't call them that."

"But… that's what you just described."

"That word makes it sound stupid; makes it sound fake, like a movie or something. Trust me, this is real; this is happening." They locked eyes briefly, Paige making sure her message was conveyed. If this girl was going to survive, she had to understand how widespread this problem was, how _severe_ it was. "Everywhere I've been in the last three months has been overrun by Infected. You don't know the things I've seen." She swallowed. _The things I've had to do._ "This is not a joke." A knot was forming in her throat.

She could feel the girl's eyes on her. Shifting in her seat slightly, she stared determinedly down the road ahead, finally reaching the slip road to take them onto the highway. "Okay, sorry. I know it's not a joke," the girl said quietly, shifting to face the front much to Paige's relief. "It's just not quite sunk in yet."

They both fell quiet, Paige taking comfort in the hum of the car engine and Jack's soft breathing behind her. Suddenly the girl gasped, making Paige jump. She was ready to snap at her but then she saw the fresh wave of tears forming in her eyes. "Mike," she whispered.

"Who?"

"The guy you… before; that was Mike, my friend's brother." Paige nodded, remembering the girl shouting at her. She bristled at the memory, still annoyed at how she had treated her after saving her life. Paige unconsciously shook her head, wondering why she had even bothered sticking around to make sure the girl was okay after that, but she guessed it was a good thing she had. "He's dead," the girl's voice squeaked as she started to cry.

"I'm sorry," was all Paige could say, feeling awkward, not knowing what to do.

"My friends are probably dead as well." The chances were pretty high that they were, but Paige didn't reply, not wanting to make the girl feel worse by agreeing. She tried to ignore her sobs as she drove. She couldn't feel sorry for her; she couldn't.

She shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place. What had it gotten her? A crying girl in her car that she would now have to throw to the curb somewhere. Great. She should have stuck to the rules she'd set out for herself.

_You saved a life, _a voice reminded her. _That was worth breaking your rules for._

She looked to her right; the girl was a mess, but she was alive and breathing, and that was because of her. _That has to count for something._ The girl wiped her eyes with her sleeves before making a noise of disgust, suddenly leaning forward, grabbing the hem of the sweater and pulling it over her head. Paige's eyes automatically drifted downwards before she could stop herself, catching a glimpse of the smooth, tanned skin of the girl's waist before she tugged the black t-shirt back down.

She quickly focussed her eyes back on the road as the girl sat back again, Paige now able to feel the warmth of her skin radiating against her bare arm. The girl threw the sweater on top of her bag, Jack jumping up from the back seat and leaning over to inspect it. "Where are we headed?" she sniffed as she reached out to pet Jack.

"Nowhere in particular," Paige replied. "I think we're close to Delaware County right now. Where do you want me to drop you off?"

There was a momentary pause before she said, "Um, Texas?" She turned to give Paige a hesitant smile even though there were still tears on her face.

Paige threw her an incredulous look. "What do you want to go there for?"

"I need to get to the military base; it's where my parents are. Well, where I _hope_ they are," she muttered.

"Your parents are in the military?"

"My dad is. Just so happened that my mom was with him when the outbreak hit." A second later, the girl let out a quiet snort of laughter, Paige turning to see Jack trying to lick the tears away from her cheek.

She allowed herself a small smile at the sight. Jack didn't usually take to people so easily, especially nowadays; you couldn't trust anyone. He was wary, just like her. "Lucky," Paige mused.

"Huh? Lucky in what way?"

"Well, if your parents are at the base, then that means they're safe. Also means that you'll be able to get in. Those places are the safest in the country, but unless you have connections or already live within the area, you're screwed."

The girl frowned. "Surely they wouldn't turn people away that need shelter." Paige rolled her eyes. The girl really had no idea what the world was like now. "They have to protect people."

"Listen, they don't _care_. If they did, they would have done something long before now. They've given up, as far as I can tell. They're leaving us to fend for ourselves." She cringed internally at how bitter she sounded, but it was hard not to. She was going to have to spend the rest of her life living on the road, every day a struggle to keep going. But she had to. She'd made a promise.

The girl took a moment to digest the information. "Where are your parents?" she asked abruptly.

Paige stared resolutely ahead, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. "Gone," was all she could say. She tensed, hoping the girl wasn't going to badger her for more information. She couldn't think about it.

"I can be your way in." Paige's head snapped in the girl's direction, not understanding. "Take me to Texas and I'll get you in."

"I'm not going to Texas," Paige snorted humourlessly. The idea was ridiculous. Texas was miles and miles away. God knows how long it would take to get there.

"Come on, where else do you have to be?"

_Nowhere._ She had absolutely nowhere else to be.

Against her better judgement, she started to think about what the girl was suggesting.

They would need a lot of gas. A lot of roads were blocked with abandoned cars. Not to mention that she would have to spend every waking minute with this girl until they got there. A girl who obviously disagreed with her means of survival, going by their first conversation.

But it would give her some sense of purpose. It would give her something to do.

"I don't even know you," Paige replied. _And you don't know me._ "And there's no guarantee they'll let me into the base, especially with Jack." She didn't know why, but she was frantically scrambling for reasons as to why she couldn't go. She guessed it was because it was too good to be true, randomly bumping into someone who could potentially offer her a better life.

"I'm Emily Fields, I'm twenty years old, I've lived in Rosewood, Pennsylvania for my whole life, except when I'm at college. I'm majoring in Biology. I used to swim but-"

"Whoa, slow down there, Emily Fields," Paige cut her off. "That doesn't tell me anything; not really."

"Please?" She sounded desperate. "I don't know you either, yet… I trust you."

"That might have something to do with the fact that I've saved your life twice now," Paige pointed out. She ran a hand through her hair, taking in a deep breath. "Honestly, you're kind of a liability; I'm probably safer on my own." It wasn't a lie; she remembered how an Infected had crept up on her from behind as her attention was focussed on the gir- on Emily. However, that didn't mean she didn't feel slightly guilty seeing Emily's face fall.

Emily looked down at her lap. "Okay, I may have a lot to learn, but I have money? I have supplies?"

"Money's useless," Paige said matter-of-factly. "What supplies do you have?"

"Well, I don't have much food, but I've got clothes, toiletries…" Emily raised her eyebrows hopefully, her gaze pleading.

"How about batteries?" After all that happened today, Paige never even managed to find any.

Emily perked up. "Yeah, I've got a couple of packs."

Paige still wanted to say no, but the look of desperation on Emily's face stopped her. She knew that without her, she probably wouldn't even make it out of Pennsylvania never mind make it to Texas. And if Emily could indeed attempt to get her into the base, then maybe it was worth a try.

She gave a heavy sigh. "What do you say, Jack?" She looked past Emily at him; he tilted his head sideways, looking at her curiously, as if he were trying to figure out what she was asking him. Paige smiled as he pressed his nose into Emily's hair.

"I think he likes me," Emily smirked, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't take it personally, he likes everyone," Paige lied. Emily gave a slight roll of her eyes. "But… okay." She couldn't believe she was saying this. "We'll go to Texas."

The girl perked up instantly. "Seriously?" A small grin spread across her lips, her eyes now dry. Paige nodded. Then Emily's hand was on her forearm, gripping gently. "Thank you," she said sincerely, making sure to catch Paige's gaze. "For this, and for saving my life. Twice," she added teasingly.

Paige could only nod again, mildly alarmed at the goose bumps that were trailing up her arm. This was the closest physical human contact she'd had since she left home. She hoped Emily didn't notice.

"What's your name, by the way?" she asked, Paige letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding when Emily removed her hand.

"Paige."

"Paige…"

She knew that Emily was asking for her surname, but for some reason, she didn't want to give it. It's not like her family name mattered now; she had no family. "Just Paige." She felt Emily studying the side of her face. She turned, giving her a strained smile, wishing she would create more distance between them.

"Okay, 'Just Paige'," she smiled unsurely. "Well, thank you."

"No problem," Paige stated, not entirely sure what she'd just gotten herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

**_Emily_**

As they drove, Emily was starting to realise that everywhere was in the same situation as Rosewood; abandoned, overgrown, dangerous. The highway they were currently on was usually swarming with traffic, yet they were the only car in sight for as far as she could see. She didn't know where everyone was. Hiding, she guessed.

Or dead.

Definitely not travelling halfway across the country. It was probably a stupid idea, but it was her only option.

They were currently somewhere in Lancaster County. Emily's elbow was propped against the ridge of the car window, her head resting in her hand as she took in the passing scenery, her vision blurring with the green of the trees at the side of the road.

For the past hour, she'd been trying to process everything Paige had told her, been trying to make sense of it.

_You do know Infected are already dead, don't you?_

Deep down, Emily knew as soon as Paige had said the words that they were true, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. The image of Mike's bloody, decayed face was still clear in her mind. There was no other explanation for it; he was dead. Walking around, but dead.

It also explained why her dad had given her the instructions not to leave home, explained why houses were being broken into, explained why Rosewood seemed like a wasteland. Emily had always loved horror movies, but she was finding that living in one wasn't nearly as fun.

Now that her initial terror had drained away, she was beyond tired, struggling to keep her eyes open. She hadn't had a decent sleep for as far back as she could remember. She'd taken to dozing throughout the day since she was too scared to sleep at night, having to sit in the darkness with her dad's gun in her hand, imagining noises from every direction (or maybe she hadn't been imagining them at all).

"There's a blanket in the back," Paige said, startling her. "If you want to sleep," she added.

Emily quickly sat up straight, giving herself a shake. "No, it's okay. I'm good." Paige already thought she was a liability, weak; she didn't need to be falling asleep a mere hour or so into their journey, especially a journey that _she_ had put them on.

Emily was still surprised Paige had agreed to go to Texas. When she had first suggested it, she'd been half-joking, but then she'd seen a flicker of something in Paige's eyes and realised that she actually had a shot at convincing her to agree.

She glanced to her side, taking in Paige, feeling guilty that she had roped her into this when she couldn't even be sure she would get into the base. From the way Paige talked about the state of the country, they could _both_ get turned away from the gate.

Paige's eyes flicked towards her, Emily quickly looking away when she realised that she'd been staring. Feeling like busying herself, she turned to look into the back seat; Jack was lying down next to her rucksack (which she'd tossed there earlier when she'd wanted a better look out of the window), eyes closed, his ear twitching. Bringing her leg up under her, she reached over to pet him with a small smile on her face. She'd always wanted a dog, but her mom had never let her have one ("They're too messy, Emily. They leave hair _everywhere_.").

Emily's eyes travelled from Jack to the blanket that Paige had mentioned, which was folded neatly next to a pillow resting against the car door opposite her. She frowned slightly, her eyes shifting to Paige.

Paige must have sensed her staring again. "What?"

Emily bit her lip, looking down at where her fingers were absent-mindedly running through Jack's fur. "Where have you been staying?" she asked hesitantly. "At night, I mean."

Paige looked sideways, evidently catching on to what she was looking at. "I think you already know." Emily's heart sank, feeling even worse. She studied the back seat; as cars went, it was pretty roomy, but it was still a car. No one should have to live in here. "Don't," Paige said, looking away.

"Don't what?" Emily replied in confusion.

"Don't feel sorry for me; I can actually feel the pity radiating off of you."

"Sorry," Emily muttered, embarrassed, not realising she was being so transparent. She sat back down properly in the front seat, her mind wandering. She wanted to know more about Paige, wanted to know her story, wanted to know everything she'd done in the last three months, but she didn't feel comfortable asking. Paige wasn't exactly giving her open-book vibes. She wouldn't even tell Emily her last name.

"You know," Paige started, "I have it better than a lot of people. At least I have a car. There are people having to live out here with nothing."

Emily contemplated that for a moment, realising that she would've been one of those people if it weren't for Paige. "You're right. Again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't offend me," Paige said, Emily not quite believing her.

"Okay, then. Good."

An awkward silence filled the car, Emily clearing her throat as she turned back to face out of the window, her mind searching for something else to say. "So, how did you find out about the virus and how it works?" Paige stared resolutely ahead. "Did they say on the news before the power went out? The last I heard was that there were some attacks happening across the country, but they never went into more detail."

At the time, Emily hadn't paid much attention, too busy with moving back home from college for the summer. It was ignorant and selfish, but you never really think these things are going to affect you until they do. "Your power might have lasted longer than mine, though," she added. "Where are you from anyway?" She was rambling, she knew she was, but she just had so many questions. And, she admitted, it was nice to have some company again.

She wasn't sure Paige had heard her and was about to repeat herself when Paige finally said, "I'm from Philadelphia." Emily nodded, waiting for Paige to continue, but she didn't.

"So? How'd you know about it? The Infection?" She was eager for more information, _needed_ to know more.

Paige sighed. "I just do, okay? I've been living out here a while; you pick things up."

The vagueness of the answer didn't satisfy Emily, but she decided to let it drop for now, suddenly remembering that Paige had said that her parents were 'gone'; Emily didn't even want to think about what that meant.

She attempted to ask something more generic. "So, what's Philly like? Has it been deserted like Rosewo-"

"Look," Paige snapped, cutting Emily off abruptly. "If this is gonna work, you need to stop with the questions." Emily was taken aback at her sharp tone. She didn't think the question had been that invasive. "We may be travelling together, but we don't need to become 'buddies', okay? In fact, the less we know about each other, the better."

Emily frowned, not understanding Paige's logic. "But earlier you implied that if we were going to travel together, then we should get to know one another?"

"No I didn't."

"Um, yes you did." Emily explicitly remembered Paige using the fact that she didn't know her as a reason not to go to Texas.

Paige ran a hand over her face in annoyance. "Okay, maybe I did imply that, but I didn't mean to." She turned to meet Emily's gaze, her shoulders slumping slightly. "It's every woman for herself out here." Emily raised her eyebrows dubiously; Paige was contradicting herself again. Paige had already saved her twice today. That was hardly 'every woman for herself'. "And that rule is easier to follow if we don't get too close. Sorry, but that's the way it has to be."

Emily shook her head slowly, confused and disappointed, but she realised that she couldn't be bothered to argue at this moment in time. If that's the way Paige wanted to play, then fine. Better, in fact. That way she wouldn't feel as bad if she had to leave Paige outside the army base gates.

"You know what, I think I might take that nap after all." She turned, awkwardly standing and climbing over the front seat into the back of the car, Jack waking up with the disturbance. He shifted to make room for her, Emily throwing her rucksack unceremoniously onto the floor, reaching over to grab the pillow by the car door; it was too hot for the blanket.

Just as she was about to place it against the window, she caught sight of someone staggering at the side of the road further ahead. Emily's head snapped to Paige, wanting to see her reaction. Only the side of her face was visible, but Paige didn't appear perturbed in the slightest. "You see that?" Emily asked, looking out of the window anxiously.

"Yup, it's weird. Don't see many of them on the highway. They tend to stick to the towns and cities."

Again, Emily found it unsettling the way Paige didn't seem bothered by something that should be traumatising. Emily didn't think she could ever get used to seeing this. Maybe it was a good thing if they kept themselves to themselves. Maybe it was better if she didn't know more about Paige.

She stared avidly out of the window as they drove past, managing to catch a glimpse of their face, surprised at how normal the woman looked. The only thing giving away that she was Infected was the paleness of her skin and the way she was walking; slow and unsteady.

She faced the front again, her eyes catching with Paige's in the rear view mirror. Paige quickly averted her gaze, muttering, "Must be a new one."

Emily frowned slightly, propping the pillow against the window, resting her head against it as she stared at Paige again. She didn't know why- Paige had made it perfectly clear that she didn't want to know her- but the reality was, Emily _did_ want to know Paige.

She felt Jack lying back down, his head resting in her lap. She finally tore her gaze away from Paige, looking down at him with a small smile. She rested her hand on his back, finally letting her eyes close with a quiet sigh. She decided to block out thoughts of Paige and the rest of world for a moment, finally giving into the sleep she so desperately needed.

* * *

**_Paige_**

Her eyes kept flicking back to Emily in the mirror; she couldn't help it. It was weird having another person in the car with her. It had been her and Jack alone for days and days and it was going to take her a while to adjust.

Emily's eyes had been closed for a good fifteen minutes now, and going by the rhythmic up and down movement of her shoulders, Paige was confident she was asleep. Which was for the best; she didn't feel like fending off any more questions right now.

She knew she'd pissed Emily off with her lack of conversation, and she wasn't really confident with what she'd said, but she couldn't talk about anything she'd endured the past three months or anything prior. And she didn't want a friend, especially one that she knew she was most likely only going to be with for a short period of time. She knew it was a long shot that she'd get into the base, so it was best not to dwell on the idea of it actually happening. If all she could do was help Emily get back to her family, then so be it. Like she had realised earlier, she had nowhere else to be anyway.

She was now full-on staring at Emily in the mirror; she shook her head, focussing back on the road.

She wasn't really sure what the best route to Texas was, but seeing a road sign- _Gas Exit 4_- gave her an idea. They needed a road map. She figured a gas station should have one. People would be more interested in taking food and other supplies, right? Not many people would be crazy enough to start an epic road trip at a time like this; there was bound to be at least one map lying around.

She took the exit, seeing a convenience store immediately on her right, large lettering written over the white paint of the building. _Case & Keg- Cold Beer, Soda, Ice, Lotto, Munchies, Cigarettes._ Paige highly doubted she would find any of the listed items, but that wasn't to say there wouldn't be a map.

She slowed the car, her eyes scanning the building quickly. One of the glass doors had been smashed open, but apart from that, nothing looked awry. She knew better than to let her guard down though. The parking lot was empty; there was no one in sight. With a quiet sigh, she pulled into the lot, haphazardly parking across the faded white lines on the ground.

She killed the engine, silence descending heavily around her. She sat for a moment, listening intently, eyes searching the surrounding area nervously. She didn't know this place at all; this was the furthest she'd travelled since the outbreak. Her leg jumped up and down anxiously.

She turned, looking into the back seat. Jack's head popped up from Emily's lap, staring at her inquisitively.

She couldn't help shaking her head in amusement. _Look at you, getting all cosy with_ _a stranger._ "Yeah, I know your game," whispered Paige with a smile, still surprised at how quickly he had taken to Emily. Against all odds though, Paige couldn't deny that she felt the same. She felt like she could trust her, and the feeling was disconcerting. She hadn't trusted anyone since the day she'd left home.

Jack whined, his tail wagging. Paige pressed a finger to her lips, signalling for him to be quiet. "Stay."

She reached down to grab the shotgun, having one final glance around before exiting the car, closing the door gently so that she wouldn't disturb Emily or draw attention to the fact that they were here. She walked towards the store slowly, holding the gun out in front of her, steeling herself for whatever she was about to encounter.

Broken glass crunched beneath her boot as she reached the door. She edged hesitantly across the threshold; as expected, it was a mess. Overturned shelves scattered the floor; nothing looked in its rightful place.

Paige held her breath, keeping her back pressed against the wall as she moved further into the store in an attempt to see as much of it as possible. "Hello?" she called out. If there were any Infected in here she would prefer to know about it now rather than later.

Hearing nothing, she pushed away from the wall, beginning to look around the clutter for a road map. She kicked a shelf out of her way, cringing slightly at the loud clang it made. Using the barrel of the shotgun, she moved papers and rubbish littering the floor around, sighing when after a couple of minutes of searching she had found nothing of value.

She made her way over to the counter, deflating at the sight of more shelves that had been stripped bare. She moved around to check the cupboards underneath the counter; nothing. _Just need to go to the gas station, I guess._ Hopefully she would have more luck there.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a door at the back of the store; the stockroom, she assumed. Deciding it was worth a try, she moved towards it. She reached out for the handle, frustrated to find it was locked. _Damn._ She glanced around, her eyes landing on a fire extinguisher. Placing the shotgun against the wall, she walked over to pick it up. It was fairly heavy; hopefully heavy enough to break the lock.

She moved back to stand beside the door, holding the extinguisher atop the door handle. Bracing herself, she lifted it up, quickly bringing it down as hard as she could onto the handle, her wrist jarring painfully. "Shit!" She dropped the extinguisher, it landing noisily onto the hard ground, rolling away from her. Paige jumped up and down on the spot clutching her wrist with gritted teeth.

She wouldn't be doing that again in a hurry.

After the pain had subsided and she'd rotated her wrist several times to make sure she hadn't done any lasting damage, she looked back to the door, relieved to see that the handle had been loosened from it. After a moment of fiddling with the lock, the door finally opened.

Paige reached for her gun before pushing it open all the way. As soon as she stepped into the darkened room, she had to clamp a hand over her mouth and nose. The smell was beyond horrific. She coughed, her eyes watering. She looked around for the source, raising her gun as best as she could with one hand, expecting to find an Infected that had been trapped.

What she found was much worse.

Her eyes widened, a choked noise escaping her throat. She was glued to the spot, unable to rip her gaze from the sight in front of her. It was a body- a man. At least she thought it was a man; the body was too decayed to be certain. He was resting against the left wall, his head slumped sideways. A hand was resting on his leg, and in that hand was a gun. Paige's eyes travelled upwards, taking in the blood spatter projecting away from him, some even reaching the corner of the roof.

She couldn't breathe. She had to get out.

She turned, staggering out of the storeroom towards the exit, stumbling over a shelf as she went.

Once outside, she braced a hand against the wall, doubling over as she took in a gasping breath of air. The image was still in her mind. She shook her head, closing her eyes tightly, kneeling down on the ground, feeling dizzy and weak. The image started to morph, started to become something else; _someone_ else. "No, no, no," Paige whispered, pressing the heels of her hands hard against her eyes.

She swallowed the sob that was ready to bubble out of her, trying to slow her erratic breathing, trying to push the memories from her mind. She had to calm down. She had to stop the panic attack that she could feel coming.

"You're okay," she murmured to herself. "You're okay."

She breathed in deeply before breathing out slowly, repeating the process until she felt her heart rate coming back to down, felt her body stop shaking. She didn't know how much time had passed when, finally, she opened her eyes, squinting against the warm sun. She came back to herself. According to a sign across the lot, she was in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania. She wasn't home; she wasn't _there_.

She rose unsteadily to her feet, wiping beads of sweat from her forehead. She looked back to the car. Jack was anxiously peering out of the window, pawing at the glass. She walked towards him, opening the door. He jumped out immediately, running around her legs, inspecting her for injuries.

"It's okay," Paige said, leaning down to hug him, placing a kiss into his fur. "It's okay." She looked up into the car, seeing Emily in exactly the same position she'd left her in, still sound asleep. Relief washed over her, glad Emily hadn't witnessed her breakdown.

She sniffed, looking back towards the store. She bit her lip, trying to remember if she had noticed any supplies in the storeroom. Everything was a blur, the body the only thing sticking in her mind. She sighed, standing up.

"In." She nodded towards the car, Jack leaping back into vehicle obediently. She closed the door, turning back to the building with determination. She picked her gun up from the ground on her way past, marching towards the stockroom.

She didn't stop to think about it; holding her breath, she walked quickly into the room, making sure to keep her eyes averted from the left wall. She focussed her attention on boxes that were stacked one on top of the other. They all looked the same, no labels visible to indicate what was in them.

She quickly began to open the ones closest to her. The first few were filled with newspapers (three months out of date, of course), another with mouldy bread, another with bleach. It was frustrating that they didn't appear to be in any sort of order.

She was surprised when she opened one of the boxes to find cigarettes. She didn't smoke, but she knew that tobacco was in high demand and could get you almost anything if you went to the right person. She lifted the box to deposit it outside of the storeroom, taking in a deep breath of the cleaner air while she was there.

Ten minutes later, she had accumulated another box of cigarettes, toilet paper, candy bars, shampoo, and body wash. Finally, she pulled out a box that was relatively heavy, opening it and sighing with relief when she saw '_Road Atlas_' stamped across the front cover of a book. She lifted two copies from the box, standing up. There were still boxes unopened, but she'd already got more than she'd bargained for and didn't want to spend a second longer in here. She exited the room, closing the door behind her as best she could.

It took her two trips to carry everything to the car, loading the boxes into the trunk and taking the road maps into the front seat. She was tempted to start planning the route right away, but past experience told her that it wasn't smart to be sitting out in the open like this. Someone could come by any second, spot the car and attempt to take it from her.

Jack jumped over the seat to sit beside her, Paige muttering, "Good boy," as he lay down, turning back to look at Emily again. Still asleep. She shook her head with a small smile, turning to face the front. They could work out a route later; right now, all she would do was keep heading south.

* * *

**_Emily_**

She stirred, groaning as a sharp pain shot up her neck when she moved her head. She opened her eyes; it was pitch black. She felt groggy and disoriented. It took a moment for her to realise where she was.

Everything came flooding back, her stomach sinking. It hadn't been a nightmare. It was real.

She sat up slowly from where she had been slumped against the car door, running a hand over her face, rotating her neck slowly and hissing in pain. She must have been asleep for hours. She had no idea where they were, and it was too dark outside to see much of anything. She pressed her face right up against the cool glass of the window. If she focussed enough, she could just make out some trees. They appeared to be in some sort of forest.

She frowned, wondering why Paige had decided to park here. Anything could be lurking in the darkness. She leaned forward, suddenly realising that a blanket had been placed over her. She ran a hand over the soft material, smiling slightly.

She peered over the top of the front seat, the smile vanishing instantly. Although she could barely see, she could sense that it was empty. There was no sign of either Paige or Jack.

_Oh god. She's left me._

Her heart hammered wildly in her chest as she threw the blanket from her lap, Paige's voice reverberating in her head: _every woman for herself._ God, how could she have been so stupid? Paige hadn't seemed keen on the idea of Texas in the first place; it wasn't a surprise that she'd left her at the first opportunity.

She spent another minute panicking about what she was going to do before logic started to creep in. Paige wouldn't have abandoned her car, would she? This was where she had been sleeping. It was her home, in a way. Paige may have wanted to get rid of her, but most likely not at that expense.

Emily took a calming breath, sitting back against the seat, her hand hitting something hard and metallic when it flopped down onto the seat. Her gun. She quickly transferred it to her right hand, chewing on her lip anxiously and wondering where Paige could possibly be at this time of night. Not that she actually knew what time of night it was; no matter how closely she stared at the watch on her wrist, without any light to catch on the metal hands of the small clock she couldn't make out what it said.

She reached down, blindly fumbling with the rucksack at her feet. She had a flashlight in here somewhere…

She rummaged around in its contents, finally feeling her fingers connect with the hard plastic of the flashlight, yanking it out of the bag. She clicked it on instantly, shining it into the front seat just to double check it was really empty.

It was.

She sighed, holding it to her watch. It was after two in the morning. _Where are you?_

She suddenly heard a rustling noise. She hastily turned off the flashlight, ducking down so that her eyes were level with the bottom of the window, desperately trying to see outside, but the brief light had made her vision even worse. Her body was shaking with adrenaline, having to hold her breath so that she could listen intently for any further sounds.

A twig snapped. Something was definitely heading her way.

She couldn't take it anymore. She scrambled backwards towards the other door, shining the flashlight out of the car once her back was pressed securely against it. She braced herself for seeing the decayed face of an Infected person, but almost fainted in relief when the light landed on a disgruntled Paige, whose hand rose up to shield her eyes from the brightness.

Emily released a shaky breath as Paige pulled the door to the front seat open. "Hey, turn that thing off," she said quickly. "Unless you want to flag down unwanted visitors." Emily didn't need to be told twice, quickly turning the flashlight off.

Emily could hear Jack's heavy breathing close to her ear. He must have climbed into the car before Paige, and was now sitting in the driver's side of the front seat.

"Where were you?"

Paige took a second to answer. "I needed air." There was a silence. "Are you okay?"

Paige must have sensed the tremble in her voice. Emily closed her eyes. "I'm fine." She didn't want Paige to think that she was completely pathetic.

"Okay," Paige replied after a moment, obviously not convinced but not pushing the issue, for which Emily was grateful. "Well, are you hungry? I tried to wake you for dinner but you were out cold. The pasta's probably all gross now, but I found a box of candy bars earlier if you want one?"

Emily was momentarily stunned. Paige had made her dinner? "Or there's some canned fruit; probably more nutritious…" Paige mumbled, Emily hearing her rummaging around in the front. She smiled, glad Paige couldn't see her face. Only moments ago, she'd been terrified Paige had left her, yet now here she was offering her food.

"Uh, both sound good actually." She was only just realising how hungry she was, her stomach growling. For the past month she had done her best to avoid thinking about food, about how she was slowly running out of things to eat. She'd gotten used to tiny proportions twice a day. It had been difficult to cope, her body screaming at her for more energy; she'd lost count of the amount of times she'd just curled up in a ball and cried because she was starving, her stomach aching. She'd tried to fill herself up with water, but she knew the supply in the water tank would eventually run out too. "I can barely remember what those taste like. I've been eating cold baked beans for the past month." The best of the food in her mom's pantry had gone within the first few weeks.

"Here."

Emily finally moved away from the door that she was still huddled against, placing the gun on the seat and leaning forward only to get poked in the eye by the candy bar Paige was holding out. "Ouch!"

"Give me the flashlight," Paige said, Emily hearing the smile in her voice.

Emily tentatively reached out in the darkness for Paige's arm, not wanting another injury to occur. Her fingers bumped against her warm skin, keeping a hold of Paige as she brought up her other hand to place the flashlight into Paige's grasp.

Paige clicked it on, shining it off to the side of Emily's face. "Sorry," she smirked, Emily rubbing her eye dramatically. She held the candy bar out again, this time Emily easily plucking it from her fingers.

She wasted no time in ripping it open, taking so big a bite that she then struggled to chew it. She closed her eyes as the chocolate melted in her mouth. "Oh my god, this is amazing." It was infinitely better than she remembered, the taste rich on her tongue.

She opened her eyes to find Paige leaning back against the dashboard, staring at her with a raised eyebrow, an amused expression on her face. Emily flushed. "Sorry." She wasn't exactly sure what she was apologising for.

"No need, they _are _pretty good. I've got a whole box of them." Paige lifted up a box from the front seat, shining the light on top of it. There must have been at least fifty of them. "Help yourself." Paige handed them over to her.

Emily took them with a grin, taking another bite of the candy bar in her hand as she placed the box at her feet. "Thanks. Where did you get them anyway?"

"A convenience store back in Pennsylvania; we needed a road map."

Just how much had Paige gotten up to while she was asleep? "Sounds like you've been busy. Sorry I was out for so long. Like I mentioned earlier, I haven't really been sleeping properly."

"Don't worry about it." Paige lowered the flashlight down out of Emily's sight, so that the light hit off of the front seat, creating a more subdued yellow glow around them. Paige was staring downwards, Emily assuming she was looking at Jack who must have lain down since she couldn't see him.

Something suddenly dawned on her. "Wait, _back _in Pennsylvania? Where are we now?"

"A memorial park just outside of Baltimore." Paige looked back to her. "We were on 83 so I just kept going, then I remembered this place. Thought it would be secluded enough to stay for the night. The city will be too dangerous."

Emily nodded, scrunching up the candy bar wrapper in her hand as she finished it. "Kinda scary though; what if there are Infected people out here? We'd have no idea." She would much prefer to be somewhere open, preferably with a lot of light; not stuck in amongst the trees in total darkness. Although, she realised, nowhere would have light at this time of night. She'd gotten used to her house not having electricity, but it was still going to take a while for it to register that the whole country was like this now.

"That's where you're wrong," Paige stated. "Jack can sense those things a mile away; he'll let us know if there's something coming, trust me." Emily could just make out the sound of light snores coming from Jack's direction, giving Paige a doubtful look. Paige rolled her eyes slightly. "It's true! Even when he's asleep, he's never _really_ asleep. You'll see."

Emily smiled, but then it occurred to her that that was something she really didn't _want_ to see. Even with Paige's reassurances, Emily doubted she'd be sleeping another wink tonight.

"Peaches or pears?"

"Huh?" Paige held up two cans. "Oh, peaches please." Emily heard the clinking of metal as Paige set about opening the tin. Emily peered over the seat, seeing that she had a can opener. "How many things do you actually have with you?" Emily had thought she'd been prepared, but in comparison to Paige, it seemed like she had no supplies whatsoever.

"Enough; I'll show you what's in the trunk tomorrow." Paige snorted. "Look." She nodded in the direction of Jack, Emily glancing away from Paige to see that his head had perked up, watching attentively as Paige pulled the lid off of the can. He licked his lips.

Emily grinned. "Okay, maybe you're right."

"Sorry, bud," Paige said, pushing Jack's nose away from the food and handing it to Emily. "This isn't for you." Emily took the peaches from Paige along with a white plastic spoon, amused at the way Jack's eyes followed the movement.

"How long have you had him?" Emily took a piece of peach into her mouth and almost died; it tasted like heaven. She would never take food for granted ever again. She glanced at Paige, seeing her eyes raised to the car roof. At first she thought Paige was annoyed that she'd asked a personal question, but then realised that she was just working out the answer.

"Let's see… I got him when I was fifteen, so… six years in March."

"Oh, we're the same age then. My birthday's in November though." For some reason Emily expected Paige to be older than her. Paige nodded, looking awkward. Emily was about to change the subject, realising that they were indeed in personal territory which Paige had made clear she didn't want, but Paige spoke first.

"Um, what _is_ the date? I kinda lost track. It's August, right?"

Emily stopped chewing in surprise, her jaw hanging open stupidly. Paige bowed her head, blatantly feeling embarrassed. Emily quickly shut her mouth, shaking her head. "Sorry," she mumbled. She really needed to start considering what life for Paige must have been like out here. Of course the days would have started to blend together. In fact, the only reason Emily knew the date was because her watch kept track of it. "Yeah, it's August 25th. Sunday"

A far-away look appeared in Paige's eyes, but after a moment she blinked, saying, "I would say that the summer's flown in, but it really hasn't."

Now, Emily knew _that_ feeling. "Tell me about it. The days have never gone by more slowly." They shared a look of understanding, Paige giving her a sad smile.

"So, you've been in your house alone this _entire_ time? I think I would have gone crazy."

"I was starting to," Emily nodded, spooning the last piece of peach into her mouth. She swallowed. "It wasn't even just the being alone part; it was the… not knowing." Paige looked down at her lap, Emily's eyes unconsciously tracing the curves of her face in the soft glow of the flashlight. "Not knowing where my dad is; not knowing what was actually happening out here." Although, now she wished she _didn't _know.

"Why did it take you so long to leave?" Paige asked.

"My dad told me to stay in the house; he said he was coming to get me." A silence followed, Emily hearing Paige's unspoken question. _Why did you wait three months though? _Obviously something had happened to stop her dad getting back home. Deep down, she knew that.

Tears sprang to her eyes, having to busy herself with placing the plastic spoon in the empty can and placing it on the floor next to the candy bars in the hope that Paige wouldn't notice. She just had to hope that for some reason he hadn't been able to leave the base in the first place. She much preferred that explanation compared to any other.

"It's stupid, I know," she murmured. "It's just, my dad's voice when he phoned me; I've never heard him panicked like that. I knew whatever was happening must be bad and-" Emily took a breath. "I was scared."

In the first few days after that phone call, she'd wavered back and forth on whether she could risk quickly running around to her friend's houses to make sure that everyone was okay after her failed attempt at contacting them via phone. She'd tried calling and sending mass texts, but the network had been jammed. Whether it was because everyone was trying to contact their loved ones or because the satellites were down, she wasn't sure.

All she knew was that anxiety began to eat away at her every time she thought about what Hanna, Aria and Spencer might be doing while she was stuck in her house. She wasn't even a hundred percent sure if they had all managed to get home from college for the summer. She hadn't had a chance to see them, having only been home a day herself. They'd been scheduled to have a catch-up at the end of that week. Emily's chest ached to think about it now.

Every time she had psyched herself up to quickly run outside to see what was happening, her dad's voice entered her head; there had been something about it that she couldn't shake, her gut telling her that she had to obey his orders and stay inside. She'd had to convince herself that her friends were fine and that they would be doing the same thing; laying low until it was safe again. Although, now she knew that likely wasn't the case. Neither her friends nor their families were at their homes, and she had no idea what that meant.

Mike flashed into her head. She felt sick.

She hesitantly looked back at Paige, expecting to see some form of judgement in her expression, but surprisingly she saw none, only empathy. "It's okay; I get it." She gave her a reassuring nod, her eyes wide as if willing Emily to believe her. "You did the right thing, staying inside. And for what it's worth, your dad's in the army, right? He wouldn't have left base without proper equipment and protection. I'm not saying that he's perfectly fine," Paige added quickly, "I'm just saying, the odds are on his side and you shouldn't think the worst until you have to."

Emily swiped a runaway tear from her cheek. She appreciated Paige's honesty, and much to her surprise, felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly. "Thanks," she sniffed, Paige's lips quirking before she averted her gaze again. She had to believe her dad was okay. She had to believe her friends were okay. The weight of everything would crush her, otherwise.

The car fell quiet, Jack's quiet snores the only noise filling her ears. After another ten seconds of silence, Emily began to itch for something to say. "So, how far do you think we'll make it tomorrow?" Their trip seemed like a safe topic for discussion. She was finding that she was enjoying talking to Paige and didn't want to overstep her mark by asking an upsetting question.

"Well, I was thinking we could just spend tomorrow planning? I had a look at the road map while you were asleep and I've picked out a route, but you can take a look and see what you think. We'll need gas- a lot of it. This thing uses it up pretty quickly." She gestured around the car. "We'll need to get another pillow and blanket, a backpack…" Paige trailed off, visibly getting lost in a checklist of other things to get.

Emily was desperate to keep moving, but maybe planning was the key to getting to Texas quicker. "Where exactly are we going to get these things?" Emily asked, interrupting Paige's train of thought.

"Well, there are houses not far from here that we can check, but if we can't get what we need there then we can search the smaller streets. We're definitely not going into the city; that's where the big swarms will be."

"Paige," Emily started cautiously, choosing to ignore the talk of 'swarms'. "I'm not sure I'm really comfortable with 'searching' people's houses, if that's what you mean. I already made that clear."

Paige sighed heavily. "Oh, my bad, we'll just go to the local Walmart and pick up some sheets there. Hey, I'm sure you can pay for them with a pound of your flesh."

Emily rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."

"So am I," Paige stated. "I know you don't like it, but you want to make it Texas? You'll have to do things you don't like. Sorry, but that's the way it is." Emily drew her knees up to her chest, leaning back against the seat. "And I'm not talking about invading houses and robbing people. I would never do that. I only take stuff from empty houses. There are more of them than you think."

"That's depressing," Emily replied, pursing her lips, quashing the question of what percentage of the population were now dead. Paige glanced at her as if she was expecting her to continue the argument, but Emily realised that Paige knew better than she did and it was foolish to think otherwise. And if there really wasn't anyone using the stuff they took then…

"Okay," she finally said. "We'll do it your way."

"Good," Paige replied. "Get all the rest you can, tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

Despite sleeping for hours already, Emily did feel like she could use more, but thinking about where they were was going to make that impossible. "I can't sleep here; I know you said Jack will hear anything coming but-"

"Relax," Paige placated her. "I'll stay up and keep an ear open, don't worry."

Emily frowned. "But you just said tomorrow's going to be a long day; you need rest too."

"I already got a good three hours earlier, which is about my average these days. I can manage."

_Well, that's not healthy._ Emily was concerned, but the look on Paige's face told her that she wouldn't be able to change her mind, and honestly, Emily definitely would feel safer sleeping if Paige stayed awake. "Okay then," she sighed. "As long as you can stay awake tomorrow. You never know, I might need saving again."

She smiled, although she realised that she was only half-joking. She still had no idea what she was doing.

Paige smirked. "Just get some rest."

Instead of leaning against the door, this time Emily placed the pillow onto the seat, about to lie down but it suddenly came to her attention that she needed to pee, and badly.

"Um, I need to use the bathroom." She hadn't been since she left home.

Paige stretched across the seat, moving back to hand her a roll of toilet paper. "Take your gun." Emily took the toilet paper nervously, not really wanting to leave the safety of the car, especially if it required taking a gun. "You should be fine," Paige added, obviously noticing she was feeling apprehensive. "Just don't go far."

"Okay," Emily said, breathing in and placing her hand on the door handle. "Wait, can I have the flashlight?" She didn't know why she was asking; it was _her _flashlight, after all.

Paige picked it up, the light in the car shifting in every angle, casting strange shadows around them. Paige held it out towards her. "Keep it pointed to the ground."

Emily nodded, taking the flashlight and exiting the car, closing the door quietly behind her. She shone the light a few feet in front of her, the gun heavy in her other hand, the toilet paper tucked under her arm. It wasn't cold, but she couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine.

She almost laughed at thoughts she'd had this morning; she had believed that she would reach Texas by tomorrow night, and had thought that she'd be able to rest at a motel for a few hours if need be. And now here she was, sleeping in a car with a stranger and peeing in the woods, the world completely foreign to her.

She jumped about a foot in the air when she stepped on a branch and it made a loud crack, glad that Paige couldn't have seen her in the blackness of the night. She willed herself to calm down; Paige said she should be fine, and Paige knew what she was talking about.

She walked quickly through the trees, going behind one with a particularly thick trunk. She was reminded of the times she used to go camping with her dad, although having to sneak out in the middle of the night to pee wasn't a potentially life threatening thing to do back then.

She stood in silence for a moment, making sure she couldn't hear anything, before quickly placing the items she was carrying onto the ground and unbuckling her belt.

A minute later and she was practically running back to the car. She was starting to see imaginary shapes in the dark and it was freaking her out. She sighed with relief when she was safely back beside Paige.

"Okay?" Paige asked.

"Yeah."

She sighed, clicking off the flashlight, once again shrouding them in complete darkness. She moved to settle down onto the seat, having to draw her knees up to make room for her legs. "Do you want the blanket?" she suddenly asked, realising that she was basically taking Paige's bed.

"No, you can use it."

Emily pulled the blanket over her body, instinctively burying her nose into the material, catching the faint scent of soap. She had so many questions still to ask, including simple things like what Paige did for washing clothes; and herself, for that matter. _I'll ask tomorrow._ As for now, she could already feel sleep pulling at her again, her body content with the food Paige had given her. It hadn't been a lot, but it had been the most fulfilling thing she'd eaten in a while.

"Paige?" she mumbled, wanting to say one last thing.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

**A/N: **Thanks for all the follows/favs/reviews! Glad you liked the first chapter. This one was a bit slower, but hopefully it wasn't boring. Plenty of action to come.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the follows/favs and reviews :)

Chapter Three

**_Paige_**

She was absent-mindedly staring into the crackling flames of the fire when she heard the car door opening. She turned towards the noise, having to blink several times to get the white spots in front of her eyes to disappear.

"Hey," she said as Emily exited the car, stretching as she made her way over to where Paige was sitting on a small log, Jack lying a few feet away chewing on his tennis ball.

"Morning." Emily gave her a small smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before wrapping her arms around herself. Paige stood up, gesturing for Emily to sit.

"Breakfast?" She didn't bother waiting for an answer, pouring some instant oatmeal into one of the bowls she'd already brought out of the trunk. She handed it to Emily, crouching down to hold the pot of water over the fire. "This shouldn't take long; the water's still warm from earlier."

She glanced up to see Emily's mouth agape as she took in the small clearing that they were situated in. Paige didn't think it was that impressive; all she'd done was set up a small camp fire and tie a piece of rope between two trees to hang up the washing she'd done in the nearby lake as soon as the sun had risen that morning.

Emily shook her head slightly. "This is awesome," she gushed. "And you made a fire? Wow, I don't think I could do that. Did you have to do that thing where you rub sticks together until they spark?"

Paige had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from smiling. "Um, no. I've got a special device for that."

"You do?" Emily asked, her eyes widening as she leaned forward eagerly.

"Yeah," Paige nodded with faux seriousness. Still holding the water over the flames, with her other hand she reached into the pocket of the zip-up hoodie she'd put on over her last clean shirt, pulling out a small item and holding it up for Emily to see. "I think they call it a 'lighter'?"

Emily just stared at her a moment before laughing, her cheeks flushing slightly. She looked down at the bowl in her lap, Paige unable to conceal her grin any longer. "Right, a lighter; of course." Emily met her gaze again, her eyes crinkling at the corners with a soft smile.

Paige found herself struggling to look away.

Water slopped out of the pot, steam swirling into the air as it hit the fire with a hiss. Paige quickly steadied it. "Things aren't that bad," she said, continuing the conversation, trying to disguise her blunder. "Not yet, anyway." She studied the water, seeing small bubbles starting to form at the bottom of the metal. _Another minute should do it._

"Well, hopefully we won't need to worry about that. The base should have electricity, right? They'll have generators or something." She was looking at Paige as if she had the answer.

Paige could only shrug; she had no idea what it would be like.

Her thoughts accidentally drifted into the future, thinking about what she was going to doing years from now after inevitably failing to get into the safety of the base, when a simple item like a lighter would be extremely hard to find.

Paige took the water away from the fire as it began to boil, thankful for the distraction. She stood up, moving back to Emily, Emily holding the bowl out in front of her as Paige carefully poured the hot water into the instant oatmeal mixture, seeing it begin to dissolve instantly. "This isn't the best," Paige murmured. "But it'll keep you going."

"Trust me, as long as it's not beans, it'll be amazing."

Paige set the water down onto the ground, reaching for the bag of plastic spoons and handing one to Emily, Emily wasting no time in swirling it around the oatmeal and raising it to her mouth. Paige watched as Emily rapidly flapped her hand in front of her mouth, her eyes watering as she choked out, "Hot."

Paige nodded melodramatically. "Uh, yeah. Take your time; don't worry, I'm not gonna take it back off of you." Emily finally managed to swallow the oatmeal, beginning to blow across the surface of the bowl. After a moment, she suddenly looked up at Paige.

"Do you want to sit?" She shuffled along to the very edge of the log, leaving just enough room for Paige.

It was only then that Paige realised she had just been standing there, watching her. "No, it's okay. You eat; I need to…" She scrambled for something to say. "Brush my teeth."

Without waiting for a response, Paige strode over to the car, moving to the trunk and out of Emily's view. She took in a breath, shaking her head, not understanding why she was feeling so flustered.

She really had been on her own too long.

She opened the trunk, surveying its contents. Looking at it objectively, it appeared a haphazard mess, but Paige knew where everything was. She had to half-crawl into the car, her knee digging painfully into a shovel as she reached over the stack of toilet paper to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste which were resting beside bottles of shampoo.

She shuffled backwards again, squeezing some toothpaste onto the brush, grabbing a bottle of water and squirting the toothbrush with it. As she brushed her teeth, she subtly moved sideways so she could see Emily. She was still sitting eating the oatmeal, but she was smiling, saying something but Paige couldn't make out what.

She must be talking to Jack. Paige couldn't deny that she found the action engaging, smiling as she spat the toothpaste into the mud and rinsed her mouth out with water.

A few minutes later, she looked over to see Emily staring up at the line of washing. Paige slowly walked back over, her hands burying themselves in her pockets. "I washed your sweater," she said. She didn't think Emily would be up to scrubbing the blood of her friend's brother out of her clothes. "I tried to get it all out, but… you should maybe look for a new one in a house today."

Paige hated the fact that she was reminding Emily of what had happened yesterday, but she realised that Emily would never forget. You never do.

Emily gave a small nod of thanks, picking up a small twig from the ground and rolling it around in her fingers. "So, where did you do washing, anyway?"

"There's a lake just over there," she gestured. "Lake Roland, I think."

"Did you wash yourself there too?" Emily must have noticed her damp hair. "Wasn't it freezing?"

"Yup." She didn't mind that though; the fact was, the only time she truly had a reprieve from thought was when the bitterly cold water was biting at her skin, which was completely worth it- even if it meant having to hug Jack for about half an hour afterwards to be able to feel her fingers again.

"Sometimes I use the showers in empty houses if they still have running water." She didn't feel safe doing that though; not only could she easily be trapped if something or someone came, it was also extra minutes spent away from the car, which could easily be stolen, leaving her with nothing in the process.

That was definitely a plus side of travelling with someone; an extra pair of eyes to guard the car could only be a good thing.

She could tell that Emily didn't feel exactly thrilled about either of those washing options, but compared to the rest of the shit happening in the world, it was a minor thing to be concerned with.

Emily stood up, visibly shivering. "I'm gonna grab another sweater." She brushed past Paige, Paige watching as she dragged her heavy rucksack from the back seat of the station wagon, beginning to pull items out of it to find the desired garment.

"You can put your stuff in the back with mine, if you want. It'll give us a better idea of what we need to get and it'll be easier for you to find things."

Emily had removed half of the contents of the bag and still hadn't found what she was looking for. "You know what," Emily huffed in annoyance, "I think you might be right."

They both moved around to the trunk, Emily's eyes widening slightly. "Paige… I don't think I have anything that you _don't_." She leaned into the trunk, trying to soak everything in.

"Batteries?" Paige smirked. Emily rolled her eyes with a smile, moving to bring her rucksack to the back of the car.

"So, I'll just put my stuff with yours?"

Paige nodded. "I know it doesn't look like it, but I have a system going on here, so-"

"Don't worry," Emily said quickly. "I won't mess it up. I'm organised too." She paused, a fond expression coming over her face. "My friend, Hanna- she used to drive me _nuts_ when she stayed over at my place. Constantly misplacing things, leaving her crap all over my bed…" Emily's smile slowly faded, Paige seeing anxiety and sadness begin to eat at her.

"Hey," she started, reaching into the pile of food in the trunk. "Bet you haven't had these in a while." She held up a bag of potato chips in front of Emily, trying to distract her.

Emily glanced at them before meeting Paige's eyes and giving her a weak smile. "Thanks," she said quietly, taking the bag from her and placing them on the ledge of the trunk. Wordlessly, Emily moved to grab the rest of her stuff that she'd already taken out, Paige watching her dejectedly.

Leaving Emily to sort out the trunk and trusting that she wouldn't mess up her system, Paige headed back to the fire to rinse out the bowls they'd used before transferring the remaining water in the pot back into one of the large water bottles. Just as she was kicking dirt over the fire to smother it, Emily shouted her name.

"Yeah?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Do you need these empty bottles or…?"

At first, Paige thought she was referring to other water bottles, but then Emily held out an empty glass vodka bottle.

Paige hurriedly marched over, snatching it from Emily's grasp, leaning into the trunk to grab the other three; she hadn't realised she'd finished so many. She could sense Emily's gaze on her, feeling her face burning with shame.

In the first month out here, Paige had needed the alcohol to sleep, plagued with nightmares and unimaginable grief. The only reason she'd stopped was because one time she blacked out and had woken up with Jack going berserk, barking at a group of Infected that were trying to claw their way into the car.

It had been reckless, stupid. Not only was she disrespecting the promise she'd made to her mom, she was disrespecting Jack's life. His safety depended on her.

She hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since. Of course, that now meant that she barely slept. The nightmares- or more accurately, flashbacks- never stayed away for long. Thankfully she hadn't woken Emily up last night; hopefully she would always be such a heavy sleeper.

She walked over to dump the bottles in amongst the trees, taking a quick breath before turning back to face Emily again. As expected, Emily was staring at her questioningly, looking for her to give an explanation which was too bad since Paige wasn't going to.

Doing her best to avoid eye contact, Paige moved back to collect the clean dishes and water, trying to delay returning to Emily for a few moments by petting Jack who suddenly perked up at the attention, his tail wagging as he stood up, dropping his ball at Paige's feet and looking up at her eagerly.

"Jack…" she whined without much meaning. She'd already played with him earlier when she'd come back from the lake, but he obviously still had more energy to burn. She felt bad having to keep him cooped up in the car for hours on end. Sighing, she picked up the tennis ball, Jack leaping excitedly in anticipation of her throwing it. She threw it into the woods, but not too far; she couldn't risk losing sight of him within the trees.

Jack raced after it, weaving effortlessly between tree trunks, leaping over rocks, mud and leaves scattering as he skidded to a stop. Ball in his mouth, he bounded back to her, looking just as content as he ever had been, completely unaware of what was happening. Paige wished she shared that same level of ignorant bliss.

"Don't turn around," Emily called, Paige instinctively wanting to do just that but managing to stop herself.

"Why?"

"I'm changing."

"Oh, okay."

She kept her eyes trained firmly on Jack, glad when Emily finally shouted her over. She took the dishes and water with her, Jack following. Emily had changed from her black t-shirt into a long sleeved burgundy one, a denim vest on top of it, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. "So, how'd I do?"

Paige stared into the trunk, pleased to see that everything was pretty much where she left it; neater, even. Going by the large pile of tidily folded clothes, she assumed that was what had been taking up the majority of space in Emily's rucksack. She knew that her own pile of clothes would look pathetically smaller in comparison.

"And here," Emily said, handing her a couple of batteries. "For your flashlight."

Paige took them with a small smile. "Thanks." Something in the trunk caught Paige's eye; she picked it up. "Why do you still have this?" She turned over the cell phone in her hand, automatically pressing the power button, not surprised when the screen didn't light up.

Emily quickly took it from her, putting it back down in what Paige deemed the 'miscellaneous' pile. "Because there are photos on there; if there's electricity at the base I'll be able to charge it up and see them again."

Paige suddenly wished she hadn't thrown her own away in a fit of rage weeks ago; she hadn't considered the possibility of ever having power again. Now all she had were her memories and a crumpled photograph that she kept in the back pocket of her jeans.

"I'll get you in the car," she said numbly.

* * *

**_Emily_**

Five minutes later, Emily joined Paige in the front seat, Jack in the back.

Paige was staring off into space, a road map sitting in her lap. "What about your clothes?" Emily asked. Paige jumped, her head snapping in Emily's direction. Emily unconsciously reached out to touch Paige's shoulder in apology for startling her, but pulled back quickly when Paige flinched away. Paige's eyes shut briefly before quickly shaking her head.

She cleared her throat. "I'll need to leave them here for now while they dry; we'll stay here again tonight."

Paige stared out at the make-shift washing line, looking away from Emily. "Paige?" Emily started out hesitantly. "Are you okay?" As she said the words, she realised that she wasn't even sure what 'okay' even meant anymore.

She saw Paige take in a deep breath of air before turning back to her, plastering a smile onto her face. "I'm fine. So, here's the route I was thinking about taking…"

* * *

The car bumped up and down over the rough terrain, Emily holding onto the door for support. Paige must have driven them deep into the woodland. "How are we going to find our way back?" It all looked the same to Emily.

"'Cause there's a split in the road; we just go into the woods at that point, keep driving straight 'til we reach the camp." And sure enough, a few minutes later they emerged from the tress onto a road; it felt like they were gliding, the smooth tarmac much easier on the station wagon's tyres.

They drove along the narrow, winding trail, a lone house finally coming into view. Emily didn't think she'd like to live here even before the outbreak. There was something eerily quiet about the place. Paige slowed the car to a stop at the bottom of the short driveway.

Paige moved to get out of the car.

"Wait!" Emily said hastily. Paige turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. "What if there's someone in there?" She felt sick with nerves at the prospect of breaking into someone else's property, especially if there happened to be someone in there. Someone most likely with a gun.

"Sit tight, that's what I'm going to check." Paige grabbed her shotgun, sneaking up the path slowly, crouching underneath a large window. Emily leaned forward anxiously as she watched Paige's head creep above the window sill to look into the room.

Emily's head was suddenly filled with visions of Paige getting shot at by some poor terrified person living in the house, her heart starting to race at the thought. If Paige got shot then they may as well shoot her too, because there was no way that she could do this without her.

She resumed breathing when Paige moved away from the window towards the door, trying to make herself relax. Paige must have done this plenty of times before; she knew what to look for.

Emily saw something flicker in her peripheral. Her gaze moved upwards; the window above the door had its curtains drawn, but Emily kept her eyes firmly trained on it. She could have sworn she'd seen something.

A few seconds passed. She was just about to look away, assuming her imagination was playing tricks due to paranoia, but then she saw it again; the curtain moved. She caught a partial glimpse of a face before they disappeared again.

She scrambled for the door handle.

"Paige," she hissed loudly, one foot still in the car. "Paige!"

Paige, who had been trying the lock on the door, turned towards her with a furrowed brow. Emily quickly gestured for her to come back, Paige throwing her hands out. "I don't think anyone's here," she called quietly.

"Paige! Get back here." Emily anxiously glanced up at the window. Paige finally relented, jogging back to her with a frown.

"What is it?"

"There's someone in there! Up at the window. Come on, we should leave." Emily hurriedly slid back into the front seat, not satisfied with the pace at which Paige followed. She was staring up at the window, as if she didn't trust what Emily was saying.

After what felt like forever, she got back in the car. "Are you sure? I don't see anything." She began to drive away without waiting for an answer.

"Yes," Emily snapped, frustrated at the lack of faith Paige was showing in her. It wasn't exactly rocket science, she knew what she saw. "One hundred percent sure."

"Okay, okay, I believe you." Paige chewed the inside of her cheek, distractedly looking in the rear view mirror as they drove away from the house. "Hopefully we'll have more luck at the next one." Emily ran a hand over her face, trying not to let the fear overwhelm her. She _hated_ this; her nerves couldn't handle the stress.

"Have you ever been shot at?" Emily didn't know why she was asking a question she didn't want to know the answer to.

"Not exactly," Paige mumbled, Emily gritting her teeth both with anxiety and annoyance at Paige's vagueness. It was really starting to irritate her.

Paige took the next turning a couple of miles later, Emily's stomach twisting painfully as they pulled into a street where a few houses were visible, Emily assuming there were more hidden by the trees that were surrounding them.

"This looks more promising," Paige said, cruising slowly by the first house, staring intently out of the window. Emily wasn't exactly sure what constituted as 'promising'; it looked exactly like the first house they stopped at- large, elaborate, secluded. There was no reason to think that this one would be abandoned if the last one wasn't. Maybe this place had avoided the outbreak altogether.

Emily began to visualise similar places all over the country, places unaffected. Maybe there was still a chance that the world could return to normal. If they could only eradicate the disease somehow, the county could start to reform and rebuild.

"Look," Paige said, Emily blinking rapidly as she came back to the real world. Emily realised that Paige had skipped over the first house and was now parked outside the second. Emily didn't know what she was referring to, but then Paige clarified herself for once. "There are three cars in the driveway." She quirked an eyebrow with small smile. Emily still didn't understand, Paige realising and adding, "We can get gas from them; means less walking around if they're all in the same place." She killed the engine, once again grabbing the shotgun to go and check if the place was empty.

This driveway was much longer, Paige much more exposed to attack if anyone was watching them, not to mention that there was a tall hedge in front of the house, blocking the bottom half of it from view. God knows what could be lurking behind it.

Jack whined behind her. She looked into the back seat, seeing that his nose was pressed up against the window, pawing at the door, pining after Paige. "Hey," Emily said quietly, scooting over in the seat so she could reach him. She scratched the back of his head comfortingly. "She'll be back in a minute." She caught his attention for about ten seconds before he fixed his gaze back on Paige, Emily sighing as she did the same.

She saw Paige disappear around the hedge. After a couple of minutes of waiting, she began to feel as apprehensive as Jack. What if something had happened? What if there had been something behind there? What if- she let out a subtle sigh of relief as Paige rounded the corner again, jogging down the drive.

Emily moved back over in the seat as Paige got in, sounding slightly breathless. "House seems to be empty," she stated as Jack's large paws jumped up on her shoulders with excitement, Paige automatically soothing him by turning around to give him a quick hug. Emily felt a tug on her heartstrings at the sight.

"Keep your guard up though," Paige said, her voice muffled by Jack's fur.

_Like there's any chance of my guard _not_ being up. _Paige drove up to the parked cars. Emily was reluctant to leave the safe space of the station wagon, but she had to. She couldn't let Paige do _everything_.

They exited the car, Paige moving to the trunk and pulling out two empty gas cans and a clear plastic tube as Emily stared up at the windows of the house, double checking that there was no one watching them this time.

Emily could only stand there and watch in admiration as Paige pulled a screwdriver from the side of her boot, using it to pry open the gas tank of a metallic red Audi and unscrewing the cap.

"Can you pop the tank open? The latch is under the dash, closest to the door." Paige began to feed the tube into the other car as Emily moved to open the driver's door of the station wagon, it taking her a moment to find the correct button. Jack jumped over the seat, pawing at her arm for attention.

Emily pulled the latch, speaking over her shoulder. "Have you got a leash for Jack? I don't think he likes being left in the car."

"There's one in the trunk, but it's okay, you can let him out. He won't go far." Emily stepped back from the door, Jack instantly jumping out, tail wagging as his nose began to follow an invisible trail along the ground, but just as Paige said, he didn't travel further than a few feet away.

Emily looked back to Paige who had the end of the tube in her mouth. She saw Paige's cheek concave as she began to suck on the plastic, gas flowing through the tube which was looped down toward the ground, the liquid quickly travelling upwards in the direction of Paige's lips.

Before it got there, however, Paige slipped her thumb over the end of the tube and placed it in the opening of the gas can at her feet, removing her thumb. The gas started to flow freely into the container, Emily completely taken aback by what she'd just witnessed.

"Once this is full, you-" Paige glanced up from where she was crouching to see her smiling. "What?"

"Nothing," Emily smirked. "It's just… you're kind of a badass." Paige ducked her head, but Emily could tell that she was smiling.

"It's really not that hard," Paige murmured, Emily finding Paige's moment of shyness oddly endearing, trying to suppress the grin that was threatening to stretch across her lips. "Okay, when this is full, you can start filling up the car while I fill up the other gas can, and we'll just repeat that process until this car's been drained, okay?"

"Got it," Emily nodded, slightly disappointed that Paige had gone straight back to talking business. Although, now wasn't really a good time to be talking about anything else. They needed to focus.

"Okay, go," Paige said quickly as she transferred the tube to the other can, a small amount of gas seeping across the gravel. Emily rushed forward to pick up the full container, moving over to fumble with the gas cap of the station wagon before pouring the fuel into it.

* * *

She was surprised how laborious the whole process was, making her long for the days when it took no longer than five minutes to do at a station.

As Paige was about to drain the last car, Emily stopped her. "Wait. Can I try?" she asked hesitantly. Paige made it look so easy that she couldn't resist.

Paige looked surprised, but stepped away from the car after a moment. "Sure."

Emily had to step over Jack- who was lying down in obvious boredom - on her way over to Paige. "So," she started. "I just suck on the tube and before it gets to my mouth, I cap it with my thumb?" Having watched Paige do it twice, she was feeling pretty confident.

Paige nodded. "Yeah, just be careful though. First time I did it, I got a bit of gas in my mouth and was sick for like, two days."

Okay, maybe not so confident.

Paige smirked. "Sorry, didn't mean to worry you. You'll probably do better than me since you had someone to teach you the technique; I had to learn from experience. You can do it."

Emily sighed. "Okay." She picked up the end of the tube; Paige had already inserted the other end into the fuel tank.

"First, you want to make sure the tube's in the gas. Blow into it and you should feel bubbles." Emily followed Paige's instruction, feeling resistance when she blew.

"It's in the gas," she confirmed.

Paige was standing right beside her as she said, "Well, you know what to do now. Make sure and have your thumb near your mouth, ready to cover the end. And make sure the tube is looped downward so that it doesn't just shoot straight into your mouth."

Emily positioned the clear tubing the way she had seen Paige do, breathing out before placing her lips around it. She began to suck on the tube, seeing gas flowing towards her after a second delay. Just as it began to make its way upwards, Emily slid her thumb over the top, pleased when she saw that the gas didn't retreat back down the tube.

She pointed it downwards into the tank, grinning when she saw the fuel pouring out. "Who's a badass now, huh?" Paige nudged her shoulder with a smile, Emily snorting.

"That was pretty cool," she admitted.

Paige picked up the can when it was full, pouring it into the station wagon. "How many times do we have to do this 'til it's full?" Emily inquired as she filled up the second canister. They must have siphoned at least ten gallons by now, and while Emily was still excited about succeeding on her first attempt, she could imagine this getting tedious if they had to do it often.

"Well, it holds sixteen gallons, so I'd say another two or so 'til it's full. There was already some in the tank."

"And how often do you need to do this?"

"Well, before I was only really driving from town to town, so maybe every two weeks? But obviously getting to Texas is going to require a lot more gas. And like I said, this thing uses _a lot._"

"Why don't you get another car then? One that uses less."

"No," Paige stated.

Emily smiled to herself. "Why not? I mean, I'm sure you know how to hotwire another one." She glanced to Paige, expecting her to be amused by the comment, but she had her back to her.

"No, I don't," she snapped, Emily baffled by the harshness in her voice. The atmosphere was suddenly tense between them, Emily frantically trying to work out why she had seemingly upset Paige, but coming up empty. Emily stared at Paige's back as she just stood there, bracing herself with one hand against the car, the other still pouring the gas.

She quickly looked at the ground when Paige turned around to collect the other gas can, even though she had a feeling that Paige would be avoiding eye contact with her too.

The next few minutes passed in silence, Emily's anxiety increasing by the moment. Not talking to Paige meant that she was more hyperaware of her surroundings, just the rustling of the trees in the slight breeze enough to make her heart rate spike. She desperately wished she was back in the car.

"Okay, that'll do," Paige finally said, twisting the gas cap back on and closing the fuel tank of the station wagon. Emily pulled the tubing from the car, praying that some poor family didn't come back for their cars only to find them all drained of fuel.

They placed the equipment back into the trunk, Emily tentatively asking, "What now?"

"We go in," Paige simply replied, pulling out a backpack and Jack's leash, along with a strap that she attached to her shotgun before slinging it across her shoulders. Thankfully whatever mood swing Paige had just experienced seemed to have passed.

Paige surveyed the surrounding area before moving forward to clip the lead to Jack's collar, Jack eagerly standing up, looking excited about the prospect of going on an adventure. Emily wished she felt the same enthusiasm, but all she could feel was the hollow pit of dread in her stomach.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she looked up at the vast, looming house. Who knew what it could hold inside.

"Got your gun?" Paige asked, Emily able to tell from her airy tone that she knew she didn't. She hurriedly fetched it from the back seat, the weapon still feeling awkward and foreign in her hand.

Paige must have sensed her discomfort. "It's just a precaution," she said, her voice now softer, holding her gaze; Emily couldn't be sure, but she got the impression that Paige was trying to apologize for snapping at her. Emily pursed her lips, giving a small nod of her head. "Tuck it into the back of your pants; only use it if you have to. We need to conserve ammo anyway."

Making sure the safety was on, she lifted up the back of her vest and shirt, slipping the gun under the waistband of her jeans, wincing slightly as the hard metal dug into her skin.

"I know it's uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it. I forget mine is even there." Emily glanced down Paige's back as she turned away, just managing to make out a small bump under her plaid shirt that she wouldn't have noticed had Paige not mentioned it.

"Why do you carry two guns?"

Paige glanced back over her shoulder. "'Cause you never know when you might need it."

* * *

**_Paige_**

They strode around the perimeter of the house, trying all three of the doors on the off-chance that one of them was unlocked, but none of them would budge. She loathed having to break in; she knew it had to be done, but smashing a window just felt… _wrong_, no matter how much she had defended herself to Emily. It was easier to pretend that it was okay if the door was open.

She moved back to the front, Emily trailing after her with Jack. She glanced at the car, looking in every direction to make sure they were still alone. She always felt nervous leaving it, even if it was only for a short time. She knew that she herself wouldn't hesitate in stealing an unoccupied car packed with supplies if she'd been living on the streets and it was her last resort, so she had to be wary about someone doing the same.

She turned her attention to the ground, her eyes scanning for something to use to break the window. She spotted a large boulder buried in the soil underneath the hedge, having to scrape unruly weeds out of her way, mud pushing up underneath her fingernails as she dug it out.

She could feel Emily's resentment radiating into her back, but she didn't spare her a look before throwing the rock as hard as she could against the glass. Her first attempt only caused a large crack to appear. It took another two throws before it finally gave way, the boulder landing with a heavy thump in the room on the other side.

She pulled the shotgun from her shoulder, using it to push out the jagged edges of glass remaining in the window frame. She poked her head through the window, relieved to see an empty living room. Placing her hands on the window ledge, she jumped, heaving herself upwards into the house. "Wait a second," she told Emily, moving into the living room as quietly as possible (which really, was kind of pointless since if there was anyone here they would most certainly have been alerted to their presence by now).

Convinced it was safe, she headed back to the window, kicking the broken glass scattering the floor off to the side so that Jack wouldn't cut his feet. "Okay, can you help with Jack?"

Emily nodded, Paige resting the shotgun against the wall. She leaned out of the window, tapping the side of the house and staring down at Jack. "Come on, buddy, jump up." Jack stretched up towards her, only his front paws and head making it above the window sill. Paige gripped his legs as Emily, with a bit of difficulty, hoisted Jack upwards.

"God," Emily wheezed. "He weighs a ton." Paige tried to wrap her arms around his body, Jack wriggling around, scrambling against the ledge. Finally he was in the house, shaking his body like he'd just taken a swim before instantly beginning to inspect his new surroundings.

Paige held her hand out for Emily to take, but Emily ignored it, Paige backing away as Emily easily climbed in the window, dusting off her jeans as she took in the room. "Nice place," she mumbled. Paige had to agree; the living room was elaborate and spacious, taking in the large mantelpiece and fire place. It was obviously an old house, but the décor was modernised; the cream coloured leather sofas looked comfy and appealing. She almost wanted to lie down.

Emily picked up Jack's lead that was trailing along the hardwood floor after him as he investigated the room, before turning to Paige and raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Paige picked up her shotgun. "Now we start searching," she said, gesturing around the room. "Look," she pointed to the back of one of the sofas. "That blanket would do." She moved over to pick it up, running her hand over the top of the fleecy material. "It's nicer than mine, that's for sure." She threw it in the direction of the window. "We'll get it on our way out."

Paige moved ahead of Emily, cautiously opening the door which appeared to lead out into a wide hallway, a spiral staircase positioned at the opposite end. She waited a moment, straining her ears for any hint of noise, but hearing nothing.

"Come on," she said quietly, stalling when she looked behind her to see Emily was examining something she'd picked up from the mantelpiece. Paige closed her eyes momentarily in exasperation, knowing exactly what it was Emily was looking at without even seeing it.

She marched over, snatching the photo frame from Emily's hands and placing it face down back where it was originally sitting, her stomach lurching as she caught sight of the four smiling faces of a happy family.

"Don't make this harder than it already is," she stated, her voice sounding hollow even to her own ears. She moved towards the door, this time entering the hallway, trying to shake the image of the picture and remember what they'd come here for. _Blanket - check. Pillow. Backpack. Whatever else we can find…_

She made her way down the hall towards the staircase, hearing Jack's nails tapping against the wooden floor after her, the creak of Emily's boots following. As she went, she did checks of the rooms she passed, realising that most of the downstairs was open plan, making it quick and easy for her to determine that there was no one down here.

She craned her head to see as far up the staircase as possible, glad that the carpeted stairs muffled her steps. Even though she was confident the house was empty, she could still feel the heavy pounding of her heart, the slight shaking of her hands as energy surged through her body. You could never be sure what you were about to walk into, images of the convenience store stockroom flashing into her head.

She reached the top, seeing four closed doors in the dark hallway. Curtains had been drawn over where Paige knew a large window was hiding.

"Stay here," she whispered, moving across to throw the curtains aside, illuminating the hallway with light. It was amazing how much less threatening the place now appeared. Logically, Paige knew that the danger level was exactly the same as it had been moments ago, but she felt herself calming slightly. While she was by the window, she double checked that the car was still safe in the driveway. Still no one in sight.

Taking a soothing breath, she threw open one of the bedroom doors, aiming the shotgun in every corner of the room, throwing open the large cupboard doors to make sure no one was hiding in them - it was clear.

She moved back out into the hallway, doing the same check for the rest of the rooms (another two bedrooms and a bathroom) before calling to Emily. "Okay, come on."

Emily followed her into the master bedroom, Paige noticing that she looked agitated, drawn into herself, wringing her hands around the end of Jack's lead. "It's empty," Paige told her. "You can relax."

Emily gave her a sharp nod, Paige visibly seeing her swallow. Paige's shoulders deflated, but she couldn't dwell on Emily's stressed state right now. They had a job to do. "Can you go look in one of the smaller bedrooms?" Paige avoided saying 'kids' bedrooms. "You'll probably be able to find a backpack in there."

Emily nodded, disappearing from the room with Jack. Paige picked a pillow for Emily from the king-sized bed, beginning to rummage through the bedside drawers, managing to find some strong painkillers that could be added to her first aid kit. She placed them in her backpack and was about to search the dresser opposite the window when she heard a short scream followed by Jack's loud barks.

Paige's heart leapt into her throat, bolting down the hallway towards the noise, gun drawn. She entered the room to see Emily's hand clutching at her chest, Jack straining against his leash, scrambling to get underneath the bed.

"What the hell!" Paige gasped frantically when she couldn't pinpoint the danger, Emily's head whipping in her direction.

"There was a huge spider that just ran across the floor," Emily explained hastily, her face flushing. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little jumpy."

Paige slumped back against the door frame, feeling weak with relief, her gun dropping to her side. "I thought you were being attacked," she growled, anger now replacing the fear. Her nerves were completely shot.

She staggered back into the hallway, not wanting Emily to see how badly the incident had shaken her, willing her racing heart to slow down. She rested her forehead against a wall, taking steady lungfuls of air as she waited for the anger to dissipate. She knew she couldn't really blame Emily for what had obviously been an instinctive reaction; Paige herself had jumped at less in the past.

Once her legs strengthened, she wandered back to the window, the car still untouched.

She was about to look away when something caught her eye; someone had emerged from the trees in the distance. It took her a moment to determine whether they were Infected or not, twistedly feeling relieved when she realised it had the virus. At least it wouldn't be stealing the car.

She turned away from the window, hearing Emily banging around in the bedroom as she looked for a backpack. Leaving her to it, Paige moved down the hall towards the master bedroom with the intention of searching the dresser, but stopped in the door of the bathroom instead.

She entered the immaculate and spacious room, all chrome and white tiles. It reminded her of her bathroom at home, feeling a pang in her chest. She automatically moved over to open the cabinet on the wall, unwillingly catching sight of her reflection in the mirror on its door; although she looked clean after her wash this morning, there was no concealing the dark, haunted circles under her eyes or the paleness of her skin. She could probably pass as Infected.

She opened the cabinet, seeing it was filled with toiletries; deodorant, face wipes, tampons, a packet of razors, a sealed toothbrush, Q-tips… She swung her backpack around from her shoulder, emptying the entire contents of the cabinet into it.

"Paige?" She could hear the panic in Emily's voice. She stepped out into the hall, seeing Emily staring out of the window. Emily threw her a worried glance, saying, "There are two Infected out there."

Well, two weren't exactly a lot to be concerned about. They had plenty of space to avoid them. "It's okay," she replied. Her eyes landed on the backpack slung over Emily's shoulder as she walked towards the window; it was pale pink, decorated with a floral pattern and a giant white cat. "_Hello Kitty_, seriously?"

Emily looked surprised that she was more concerned with the backpack than with what was happening outside. "What, you don't like it?" she joked before nervously peering back out into the street. "It was the only one I could find," she muttered distractedly.

Paige had to bite back a grin, thinking that she would never be able to take Emily seriously with that thing on. Paige finally looked out of the window, seeing that the two Infected weren't even heading in their direction.

One look at Emily's face though told her that she was ready to leave. Paige would have liked to search the house more, maybe for food or the slim chance of ammunition, but they'd gotten what they had needed.

"Come on," she sighed. "We're leaving." Emily's relief was palpable.

Paige moved back to the bedroom to pick up the pillow, Emily and Jack waiting at the top of the staircase for her. They all moved down together, making their way back to the living room window. Paige was about to climb out but paused as a distant gunshot echoed through the air.

"What the hell was that?" Emily hissed quietly, Paige feeling her gripping her backpack as she leaned in closer.

Paige swallowed. "I don't know." A gunshot was never a good thing, but she didn't bother voicing that to Emily. She slowly poked her head out of the window, looking left and right for any sign of trouble but seeing nothing. Jack was snarling, his hackles raised; obviously there was something happening out there. If only their view wasn't blocked by the damn hedge…

As tempting as it was to stay in the house, they couldn't risk being surrounded and trapped in here, whether by Infected or whoever was out there with a gun. "We need to leave. Now." She scrambled to get out of the window, placing the pillow at her feet as she turned to help Emily and Jack get down.

"Okay, come on."

Emily looked like she was ready to pass out, but thankfully managed to fight through it, readying herself to lift Jack but then her eyes widened in horror at something behind Paige's shoulder.

Paige turned to see an Infected coming around the hedge. She automatically aimed the shotgun at its head before hesitating. If she fired, then that would draw attention to their presence. Probably not the smartest move.

But that meant she would have to dispose of it in the other way; by smashing its head in. Although she'd done it a few times before, the last being yesterday, this was different. She had time to think about it. Before, it had just been instinct, a necessity to get out of the situation alive. Now, she wasn't sure she could psyche herself up enough. Psyche herself up to feeling the crunching of a skull beneath her hands, the feeling as she broke through to the mush of its brain.

"Paige," Emily out breathed behind her, Jack barking loudly from below the window.

No, she couldn't do it. And the noise that Jack was making would have given them away anyway.

She pulled the trigger, stumbling backwards against the wall, Emily's hand landing on her shoulder to steady her. The corpse crumpled to the ground, blood seeping out over the gravel.

She didn't waste any time; she spun around to see Emily's expression slack, her eyes fixated on the body. "Emily!" Emily blinked quickly, snapping out of the daze. "Get Jack."

Paige prepared herself to help him down but he ended up leaping out, letting out an excited bark, beginning to run along to the end of the hedge, his lead uselessly bumping across the ground after him, fear spiking in Paige's chest. "Hey!" she shouted so forcefully that he skidded to a halt, looking back at her guiltily. "Here!"

He began to slink back to her slowly, his head bowed, knowing he'd upset her. Paige released a shaky breath as Emily landed clumsily beside her, Emily hissing in pain as she clutched the back of her thigh, evidently having scraped it when she fell from the window.

Paige picked up Jack's lead when he reached her, wrapping it around her hand several times so he was constrained to mere inches from her side; Emily grabbed the pillow from the ground, clamping it under her arm with the blanket. Paige brushed Emily's wrist with her fingers. "Stay close."

Emily gulped but nodded, Paige cautiously beginning to move forward, nervous about the insistent whining Jack was making. She had no idea what she was about to witness when she rounded the hedge.

More gunshots. They sounded close.

A blood-curdling scream filled the air, a coldness running through Paige's veins, every hair on her body standing on end.

Jack was pulling on the leash, desperate to move forward, but Paige's brain didn't seem to be in correspondence with her limbs; her legs had completely seized up. This time it wasn't Emily freezing on the spot. It was her. More screams filled her mind, blood splashing before her eyes, her throat constricting, terror seeping into every cell of her being.

* * *

**_Emily_**

"Paige!"

After three times of yelling her name and no response, Emily desperately spun Paige around by her shoulders, her body feeling ridged, looking down and seeing her hand was gripping Jack's lead so tightly that it had turned completely white. She did her best to block out the string of screams in the air.

"Paige," Emily pleaded, almost crying, shaking at her shoulders. "Please." She could tell that Paige couldn't see her; her eyes were looking straight through her. It was like Paige wasn't even there. She didn't understand. Emily slid a hand up from her shoulder to her cheek, tapping her face lightly, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. "Paige, it's Emily. Can you hear me?"

Jack was growing more stressed at her feet which did nothing to slow the loud thumping of her heart. "Paige!"

Paige suddenly took a large gasp of air, her eye lids fluttering, her gaze finally focussing on Emily. Thankfully she didn't need to remind Paige of where they were; after a mere second delay, Paige reached up to clutch her hand, pulling it from her face and wrapping Emily's hand in hers, dragging Emily in the direction of the car.

They moved past the hedge, the space around them opening up; right away, Emily could see movement. It was like someone punched her in the chest, all the air leaving her lungs. There was a chaotic mass gathered at the bottom of the street, just before it twisted into the trees and out of sight. She couldn't make out what was happening.

Her attention was diverted to the three corpses staggering towards them, one of them missing an entire foot, a bloody stump grating against the ground as it moved. If that weren't bad enough, the one behind it had a gaping hole where its internal organs should be, Emily's stomach turning as she saw a piece of dried-out intestine dangling from it.

Paige's grip was still firm on her hand, pulling her forward, Jack's growling and straining against the lead doing little to help the situation. The car was finally within reach as the Infected approached the lawn of the house, Emily now able to hear their groans.

Paige flung open the driver's door, shoving Jack into the car before stepping back to let Emily in. She ungracefully tumbled in, Paige almost landing on top of her in her haste to shut the door. Emily allowed herself a staggered breath, looking out of the back door window to look at the gathering at the end of the street.

She could just make out a group of Infected clumped together in front of the next house down, the door of which appeared to be open. As Paige speedily reversed down the driveway, Emily squinted, trying to see what was happening. They were all crouched on the ground, clawing at something. Ripping, tearing.

Eating.

Emily's heart stopped. Events began to string together in her head; the gunshots; the screams. "Oh my god," Emily gasped, tears springing to her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Logically, she knew this must be what happened when someone was killed by Infected- that could have been her yesterday- but physically watching it happen and not being able to do anything about it was earth-shattering.

"Don't look," Paige choked out, her voice thick. Emily was so sickened by the sight that she forgot that there were Infected closer to them. She jumped when one slammed up against the window, its growls chilling her to the bone, its teeth dinking off the glass as its disgusting grey tongue lolled out of its mouth.

The engine of the car roared as Paige floored it, the corpse leaving a smear of gunk on the window as it slid away, Emily watching in the wing mirror as it landed face first on the ground, writhing around, just managing to get back on its feet as they rounded a corner, Emily's gaze still fixed on the mirror long after the Infected was out of sight.

* * *

It was hours later and Emily could still hear the screams echoing in her head.

They'd barely spoken since they had gotten back to the camp. Once she'd packed her washing into the trunk, Paige had stated that she was going to fill up the water bottles at the lake, and Emily, not wanting to be left in the clearing by herself and looking for a distraction, decided to go with her and Jack.

Once they'd collected water from the lake, they brought it back to the camp to boil it so that it was safe for drinking, filling two large bottles with the clean water along with smaller drinking bottles. The whole process was extremely time-consuming. No wonder Paige had wanted to take the time today just for preparation.

Now, she was sitting next to the burning fire, having just managed to force a meal down her throat; she'd completely lost her appetite. She could tell that the sun was getting lower in the sky by the minute, the lighting beneath the canopy of trees becoming dimmer. It was going to be dark soon.

Her agitation began to increase. She was having a hard enough time coping in the daylight knowing that those things where somewhere within the area, never mind the night.

"Paige?" Her voice sounded rough and scratchy; different. She reached for her water bottle as she waited for Paige to respond.

Paige was sitting across from her on another log they'd found, her arms curled around her legs, staring aimlessly into the fire much like Emily had noticed her doing that morning. She didn't reply or glance at her, but her eyebrow quirked, indicating that she was listening.

"Maybe we should move somewhere else for the night."

"Why?" It came out as a whisper, Paige having to clear her throat.

"Because, those things are too close; what if they come over this way in the night?"

Paige let out a bitter snort. "Don't you get it?" She finally looked at Emily. The pause that followed was taut with tension. There was a spark of anger in Paige's eyes that was furthered by the reflection of the flames of the fire. "No matter where you are, no matter how safe you think some place is, it's not," she spat. "Because those fucking things are always around the next corner. Always."

Paige stared at her hard, a single tear spilling down her cheek before she violently wiped it away, standing up. Jack suddenly sprang to his feet beside her, looking up at her, confused about what was happening. Paige inhaled. "So no," she said, her voice even. "There's no point in moving. Everywhere is the same." She stormed over to the car, Jack following.

The anger wasn't directed at her, Emily realised. Paige was angry at their situation, at what they had witnessed today. Emily wished she felt that anger, felt something other than the terrifying numbness seeping into her bones. Something had changed within her. She felt it.

She couldn't believe she'd been naïve enough to even consider that the street they were on had somehow managed to avoid the terror and destruction plaguing the world. It was a complete and utter fantasy; a delusion.

She could suddenly pinpoint what it was that had changed; it was her hope. It had vanished, leaving her empty. Not even the thought of Texas could replenish it.

* * *

As expected, she couldn't sleep. Just as she was dozing off, she would jump awake, haunted by the day's events.

She muffled her sobs with the sleeve of her top, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to stop crying, but she couldn't. She was struggling to breathe, images of everyone she loved, everyone she knew, now wandering the streets, tearing other people into pieces.

All she wanted was to forget. All she wanted was to sleep, sleep forever.

* * *

She had no idea how much time as passed. She must have finally managed to fall asleep. She sat up in the darkness, her head pounding, her eyes still feeling swollen from the tears. She didn't know for sure, but she felt like something had woken her up; a noise.

She only had to wait a moment before she heard it again. It was coming from the front seat. It was Paige. She was muttering something in her sleep. Emily listened intently, trying to work out what she was saying.

"No," Paige groaned, over and over again. "I'm sorry." She was crying. She sounded like she was in pain. Emily leaned over the seat, feeling a burst of anger at not being able to see. Well, at least she had some emotion back.

She fumbled for the flashlight on the floor, keeping it low as she clicked it on and directed it into the front seat. Jack was lying on the floor alongside the seat; he was awake but didn't look too perturbed by whatever was going on with Paige, leading Emily to believe that this was a regular occurrence.

She directed her focus to Paige; there were tears leaking from her eyes, running back into her hair, her face scrunched up, still muttering under her breath. Emily noticed the light sheen of sweat covering her forehead. Paige was obviously having an intense nightmare.

"Paige," she whispered through a stuffy nose. "Paige, wake up." Paige continued to cry. Emily reached down to touch her arm. Almost instantly, Paige's eyes flew open, a look of complete terror within them as her fingers wrapped around Emily's wrist in a vice-like grip, Emily grimacing in pain. "Paige, it's me!"

It was like they were back at the house they'd visited today; Paige couldn't see her. In her head, she was somewhere else. Emily had to drop the flashlight, bringing her hand down the try and pry Paige's fingers from her wrist. "Paige, it's Emily. It's okay."

After a moment, Paige blinked, her fingers loosening but not letting go. Emily smoothed her thumb over Paige's hand. "It's okay," she whispered, a dull ache spreading up her arm.

After a few laboured breaths, Paige let her go completely, sitting up. "I'm so sorry," she gasped, reaching back to open the car door, scrambling backwards out of it and closing it firmly behind her.

Emily could hear her pacing beside the car, accompanied by gut-wrenching sobs. She wanted to comfort her somehow, but how could she. Emily had lived out here for one full day and had already experienced the most horrific thing in her life. Paige had been living days like this for three months. That was bound to mess you up.

All she could do was sit there and listen to Paige cry, fresh tears of her own flowing freely.


End file.
